President Donald Trump announced Monday that the United States will raise tariffs on South Korean imports from 15% to 25%, blasting the Korean Legislature for failing to honor the terms of a major bilateral trade agreement signed last year.
“South Korea’s Legislature is not living up to its Deal with the United States,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “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.”
The new tariff hike targets South Korean automobiles, lumber, pharmaceutical products, and other imports covered under reciprocal tariff agreements. It marks a return to the 25% rate Trump previously announced last April as part of his sweeping “Liberation Day” package but had delayed after what he described as “positive momentum” with Seoul.
Now, Trump says that patience has run out.
“Because the Korean Legislature hasn’t enacted our Historic Trade Agreement, which is their prerogative, I am hereby increasing South Korean TARIFFS… from 15% to 25%,” he wrote.
The stalled trade agreement, described by the White House last year as a “Full and Complete Trade Deal,” included $350 billion in long-term South Korean investment commitments and a fixed 15% tariff rate on qualifying Korean imports. Trump also announced at the time that South Korea would purchase $100 billion in liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other American energy exports.
“Additionally, South Korea has agreed to invest a large sum of money for their Investment purposes,” Trump said at the time, calling the deal a model of what fair, two-way trade should look like.
On Monday, the president made clear that the failure to follow through would carry consequences.
“When trade deals have been reached, my administration has acted swiftly to reduce our TARIFFS in line with the Transaction agreed to,” Trump wrote. “We, of course, expect our Trading Partners to do the same.”
The move signals a hardening of Trump’s America First trade doctrine as he continues reshaping global commerce under a new wave of enforcement measures. South Korea’s delay, in his view, reflects a broader failure of foreign governments to treat U.S. trade policy with the seriousness it deserves.
The tariff hike goes into effect immediately.
The post Trump Hikes Tariffs on South Korea to 25% Over Delayed Trade Deal appeared first on Real News Now.
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