Hankook Tire files lawsuit against US tariff

Hankook Tire, through its U.S. subsidiary, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government seeking a refund of tariffs already paid, challenging the legality of country-specific import taxes imposed by the Donald Trump administration.

According to the U.S. Court of International Trade (USCIT) on Wednesday (local time), Hankook Tire & Technology's U.S. unit took legal action against U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on Monday, urging the court to rule that the tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) are unlawful.

The company asked the court to stop CBP from imposing any additional tariffs on its imports and to order a full refund of duties it has already paid.

Tariffs imposed by Trump under the IEEPA on Korea and other countries have previously been ruled illegal by lower courts and are now awaiting a final decision by the U.S. Supreme Court.

This is not the first time that a Korean firm has filed a similar lawsuit. Last month, the U.S. subsidiary of Taihan Cable & Solution filed a lawsuit.

In addition, U.S. subsidiaries of Hanwha Q Cells and Samsung Electronics’ audio subsidiary Harman also submitted complaints, though court records show both later voluntarily withdrew their cases.

However, none of the lawsuits filed by Hankook Tire, Taihan Electric Wire or other companies have moved forward since their submission, as the USCIT ordered on Dec. 23, 2025, that all newly filed tariff refund cases be automatically stayed until the Supreme Court issues its ruling on Trump's tariffs.

According to the USCIT, the Trump administration indicated it would not oppose recalculating and refunding tariffs, if the Supreme Court finds them unlawful.