Anna Jiwon Park has been covering the politics at The Korea Times since the summer of 2024, when she joined the press pool for the Office of the President in Korea. Prior to that, she spent about five years reporting extensively on financial markets, regulatory authorities and the financial industry. She joined The Korea Times in 2019 after spending eight years as a broadcast journalist at Arirang TV, Korea’s leading global broadcaster, covering politics, defense and culture.
Questions arise over Korea’s two-week inaction after US letter
The main building of Cheong Wa Dae / Joint Press Corps
By Anna J. Park
Seoul to dispatch industry, trade ministers to US after Trump’s tariff hike announcement
Questions are mounting over Seoul’s two-week silence after the United States sent a formal letter urging Korea to implement follow-up measures to a bilateral trade agreement, a move now seen as a possible warning ahead of President Donald Trump’s decision to raise tariffs on Korean goods.
Government officials said Tuesday that the letter urged both countries to honor commitments outlined in a joint fact sheet issued after last year’s Korea-U.S. summit in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang Province, including a pledge not to subject U.S. tech companies to different treatment from their Korean counterparts. The letter was sent on Jan. 13 by James Heller, the U.S. charge d’affaires in Seoul, to Deputy Prime Minister and Science Minister Bae Kyung-hoon, with Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Fair Trade Commission Chairman Ju Biung-ghi listed as reference recipients.
An official at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said it had confirmed receipt of the letter but declined to elaborate, saying, “Details of diplomatic correspondence between the two governments cannot be disclosed.”
Presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-joon also said the government could not provide further information “due to diplomatic considerations.”
The presidential office later said the letter from the United States to the science minister and other officials pressed Korea not to discriminate against American companies on digital issues and insisted it bore “no direct connection” to Trump’s claim that the National Assembly had failed to complete the legal steps needed to implement the Korea-U.S. trade agreement — a claim he used to justify the tariff hike.
The letter’s existence has since drawn renewed scrutiny after Trump said on social media that he would raise tariffs on Korean automobiles and other goods to 25 percent — the pre-agreement level — citing delays by the National Assembly in enacting the required legislation.
To address the dispute, the presidential office said Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan would travel to the United States after completing a trip to Canada to meet with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Separately, Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo is expected to visit Washington soon for talks with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said it would “closely coordinate with relevant ministries to convey the government’s strong commitment to implementing the tariff agreement and respond proactively.
Earlier in the day, Cheong Wa Dae convened an emergency meeting to assess the situation and discuss response measures following Trump’s announcement of higher tariffs.
According to presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung, the meeting was chaired by presidential policy chief Kim Yong-beom and National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, and attended by senior officials from key ministries. Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik and the industry minister, who are in Canada, joined the meeting by phone.
“The government plans to convey its firm intention to fulfill the tariff agreement to the United States, while responding in a composed manner,” Kang said in a written statement.
The top office also stressed its “commitment to implementing bilateral trade agreements and maintaining close communication with Washington.”
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Truth Social account / Captured from Truth Social
During the meeting, officials reviewed the progress of a proposed special act on strategic investment management between Korea and the United States, submitted to the National Assembly on Nov. 26 last year as a follow-up measure to ongoing tariff negotiations.
The act incorporates an agreement reached at the Korea-U.S. summit in Gyeongju last October, in which Seoul pledged $350 billion in investments in the United States, in exchange for tariff reductions and expanded security cooperation. It also stipulated that tariff cuts would apply retroactively from the first day of the month in which the relevant legislation was submitted to the National Assembly. In line with the accord, the United States retroactively lowered tariffs on Korean automobiles to 15 percent through a Federal Register notice on Dec. 4.
Trump wrote on social media Monday evening (local time) that he would raise tariffs on automobiles and other Korean goods, citing delays by Korea’s National Assembly in passing the legislation needed to implement bilateral trade agreements. “South Korea's Legislature is not living up to its Deal with the United States,” Trump wrote. “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%.”