Bahk Eun-ji has been with The Korea Times since 2012, building a career across multiple desks. She began at the Business Desk, where she conducted in-depth interviews with key figures in Korea's corporate world. Later, she moved to the Politics & City Desk, focusing on education policy and social affairs. She later served as team leader of the digital content team, leading curation efforts on the newspaper’s homepage and reshaping print stories for social media audiences to enhance digital reach. Now back on the Politics Desk, she covers the National Assembly and the Ministry of National Defense, with a renewed focus on political developments.
Tariff uncertainty likely to further delay Korea-US nuclear sub talks
President Lee Jae Myung reaches for a pen to sign a guestbook during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Aug. 25, 2025. Courtesy of White House
By Bahk Eun-ji
US security delegation's visit still unconfirmed
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision striking down Washington’s tariff scheme has emerged as a new variable affecting security negotiations between Seoul and Washington, raising concerns that uncertainties surrounding the tariff issue may hinder defense cooperation.
Officials here have said the trade issue is separate from security issues, including Seoul’s pursuit of nuclear-powered submarines and expanded rights over uranium enrichment and spent fuel reprocessing. However, the security negotiations have already been delayed by the deadlock in tariff talks in recent months, especially after U.S. President Donald Trump on Jan. 27 threatened to raise levies on Korean goods, citing Korea's slow progress on pledged investments.
The timing of a planned visit by a U.S. interagency delegation is now being closely watched. Seoul expects officials from the White House, the State Department, the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy to participate in the security negotiations, saying earlier this month that the delegation may arrive at the end of February or early March.
However, the delegation has not yet been finalized and no travel date has been confirmed. Whether the delegation will come as planned or not would be an important indicator of negotiation momentum.
While the court decision itself does not directly affect security matters such as the assembly of nuclear submarines or negotiations on uranium enrichment, observers note that if trade issues dominate policy priorities for the Trump administration and Congress, there could be delays to follow-up security talks between Seoul and Washington.
“The U.S. is still maintaining sector-specific tariffs, and it is realistically difficult for Korea to withdraw the investments it has already pledged. The Supreme Court ruling is therefore unlikely to significantly alter the substance of ongoing trade negotiations,” said Park Won-gon, a professor of North Korean studies at Ewha Womans University.
“Confusion is inevitable as the Trump administration reorganizes its tariffs system, and in that process the timeline of security negotiations could be pushed back further.”
Korea's presidential office said it is reviewing the court ruling and related U.S. measures to determine its response in line with national interests. Both economy- and security-related officials, including National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, took part in emergency response meetings.
“There has been no sudden change in the situation from Korea’s perspective,” said a senior presidential official, adding that Korea’s planned investment is linked not only to tariff reductions but also to diplomatic and security issues.