Trump Threatens Higher Tariffs on South Korean Autos and Goods Despite Court Ruling and Trade Deal

Welcome to South Korea Tariff News and Tracker, where we break down the latest twists in US trade policy hitting Korean exporters. The US Supreme Court just struck down President Trump's IEEPA tariffs as unlawful, including the reciprocal ones on South Korea, but don't breathe easy—Trump's vowing tougher measures ahead. In his State of the Union address, Trump called the ruling regrettable but promised "far worse" tariffs using alternatives like Section 122 of the Trade Act, now imposing a 10% global tariff effective February 24, with a threatened jump to 15% by July. Trade Compliance Resource Hub's Trump 2.0 tracker details South Korea-specific hits: 25% on automobiles effective November 1, 2025, and kitchen cabinets from November 14, plus threats to hike both to 25% as recently as January. Chosun Biz reports Trump threatening to reverse a hard-won 15% deal back to 25%, blaming Korea's National Assembly for delaying a special US-bound tariff act. A senior US official in Seoul on February 23 insisted the Korea-US agreement holds, with new measures from Treasury or USTR coming soon—possibly Section 301 or emergency powers—while pushing for Korea's $350 billion US investment pledge to launch by early March. Stimson Center analysis warns this uncertainty spiked Korea-US trade volatility in 2025, with exports dipping to $122.86 billion amid auto and steel threats. President Lee Jae-myung vows to honor the deal regardless, coordinating with Washington. Meanwhile, Korea's government fights back, unveiling a plan to hit $740 billion in total exports this year via diversification into biohealth, defense, and Middle East markets, per Korea Times, backed by 275 trillion won in trade insurance. Trump's team eyes Coupang probes as unfair trade ammo, stalling negotiations. Exporters, brace for Section 232 auto hikes or pharma/semiconductor curbs tied to that November pact. Thanks for tuning in, listeners—subscribe now for weekly updates on tariffs shaking your supply chains. This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai. For more check out https://www.quietperiodplease.com/ Avoid ths tariff fee's and check out these deals https://amzn.to/4iaM94Q This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.