Why is Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan going to Washington now?

Kim is heading to Washington as Seoul faces mounting U.S. tariff pressure and unresolved bilateral trade issues. The trip comes amid pressure to speed up Korea’s investment commitments under the bilateral tariff deal and ahead of expected U.S. findings in a Section 301 investigation.

What tariffs is Korea facing under the latest U.S. trade actions?

The U.S. has imposed 12.5 percent tariffs on Korea under a new scheme tied to a Section 301 forced-labor investigation. The same action applies to Japan and Switzerland, and it follows tariffs imposed on imports from 60 trading partners.

What did Kim Jung-kwan say about the tariff cap in the Seoul-Washington deal?

Kim said the two countries agreed that any tariffs imposed under the Section 301 investigation would not exceed 15 percent. He said that limit matches the Seoul-Washington tariff agreement concluded last year.

Industry minister again heads for Washington amid growing US tariff pressure

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Summary

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan departed for Washington as Seoul faces growing U.S. tariff pressure and unresolved bilateral trade issues. The visit comes as the United States is expected to announce the results of its Section 301 investigation into alleged overproduction by the end of the month. Washington has also imposed new tariffs of 12.5 percent on Korea under a separate Section 301-related action. Korea exported $122.9 billion to the U.S. and imported $73.4 billion last year.

Key Facts

The U.S. government is expected to announce the results of its investigation into alleged overproduction under Section 301 of the Trade Act by the end of this month.
Last month, Washington announced new tariffs on imports from 60 trading partners, ranging from 10 percent to 12.5 percent, after a Section 301 investigation into forced labor.
Korea is subject to 12.5 percent tariffs under the new scheme, along with Japan and Switzerland.
Separate from the forced labor-related case, the U.S. is also investigating 16 economies, including Korea, over alleged excess industrial capacity under the same trade law.
Korea exported $122.9 billion to the U.S. and imported $73.4 billion last year.

By Yonhap

Published Aug 16, 2026 2:41 pm KST

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan speaks during a workshop at the Government Complex Sejong, Friday. Yonhap

Korea's industry minister departed for Washington earlier in the day as Seoul faces mounting tariff pressure from the United States amid a series of unresolved bilateral trade issues, sources said Sunday.

Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan's visit to the U.S. came at a sensitive time for bilateral trade relations, as Seoul faces growing U.S. pressure to accelerate its investment commitments under a bilateral tariff deal.

Earlier, the ministry said the U.S. government is expected to announce the results of its investigation into alleged overproduction under Section 301 of the Trade Act by the end of this month.

Last month, Washington also announced a new set of tariffs on imports from 60 trading partners, ranging from 10 percent to 12.5 percent, following an investigation into forced labor under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974.

Under the new scheme, Korea is subject to 12.5 percent tariffs, along with Japan and Switzerland.

Separate from the forced labor-related investigation, the U.S. government is also investigating 16 economies, including Korea, over alleged excess industrial capacity under the same trade law.

Kim said earlier the two countries have agreed that any tariffs imposed under the Section 301 investigation would not exceed 15 percent, in line with the Seoul-Washington tariff agreement concluded last year.

Korea exported $122.9 billion to the U.S. and imported $73.4 billion last year, making the U.S. Korea's second-largest trading partner.

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