Trump says auto tariffs on Korea to rise to 25%; Seoul scrambles for response

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on the sidelines of the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 21. [AP/YONHAP]

 
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to raise auto tariffs on Korea to 25 percent, reversing an earlier decision to cap them at 15 percent.
 
"South Korea's Legislature is not living up to its Deal with the United States. President Lee and I reached a Great Deal for both Countries on July 30, 2025, and we reaffirmed these terms while I was in Korea on October 29, 2025. Why hasn't the Korean Legislature approved it?" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
 

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"Because the Korean Legislature hasn't enacted our Historic Trade Agreement, which is their prerogative, I am hereby increasing South Korean TARIFFS on Autos, Lumber, Pharma, and all other Reciprocal TARIFFS, from 15% to 25%. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"
 
The Korean government said on Tuesday that it has not received any official notice regarding the matter.
 
“There has been no formal notification or detailed explanation from the U.S. government so far,” the presidential office said.
 
“A meeting, presided over by the presidential chief of staff for policy and joined by relevant ministries, will be held later this morning.” It also noted that Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources Kim Jung-kwan, who is currently in Canada, plans to visit the United States as soon as possible to discuss the issue with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.
 
Korea and the United States agreed to lower auto tariffs from 25 percent to 15 percent in October, on the condition that Seoul invests $350 billion in the United States, followed by the announcement of the joint fact sheet of the trade pact on Nov. 13, 2025.
 
The Democratic Party introduced a related bill on Nov. 26, 2025, but it has yet to pass.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [park.eunjee@joongang.co.kr]