
NEW YORK/SEOUL - US President Donald Trump said Monday he will raise tariffs on certain South Korean goods from 15 percent to 25 percent, accusing South Korea's legislature of not having enacted a bilateral trade agreement with the United States.
"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%," he said on social media.
"South Korea's Legislature is not living up to its Deal with the United States," Trump said. "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."
ALSO READ: South Korea cannot pay $350b to US for tariff deal as Trump suggests, top aide says
According to the agreement finalized by Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung in October 2025, the United States would impose blanket tariffs of 15 percent on imports from South Korea, 10 percentage points lower than the level Trump had threatened. In return, South Korea agreed to invest $350 billion in the United States.
The two sides later signed a joint memorandum on Nov 14, stipulating that tariff cuts would be applied retroactively from the first day of the month in which relevant legislation was submitted to the South Korean parliament to implement the agreement.
South Korea's ruling Democratic Party submitted a special bill on US investment to the National Assembly on Nov 26, and the United States subsequently retroactively lowered tariffs on South Korean automobiles to 15 percent on Dec 4.
READ MORE: S. Korea's Lee says to face financial crisis with US investment demands
South Korea is an important trading partner for the United States, which imported over $100 billion worth of goods from South Korea in the past few years.
South Korea's presidential office said that it has received no official notification from Washington about the latest tariff hike, and that the country's trade minister will visit the United States to discuss the matter. The office added that an interagency meeting will be held later in the day.
