The United States is pushing forward with tariff sanctions against South Korea, and domestic doubts in South Korea are heating up again

After US President Trump announced an increase in tariffs on South Korea from 15% to 25%, the South Korean government urgently sent a delegation to the US for consultations to seek a solution. Although the South Korean side released a signal of "deepening mutual understanding and eliminating unnecessary misunderstandings" after the meeting, the administrative procedure for the US to raise tariffs has been initiated, and there is still uncertainty in subsequent negotiations, which has raised internal vigilance in South Korea. On the 2nd, the South Korean newspaper Dong-A Ilbo reported bluntly that "South Korea is facing increasing uncertainty about US tariffs".

According to a report by Yonhap News Agency on February 1st, South Korean Minister of Industry and Trade Kim Jong eun stated that he had explained the previous tariff agreement to the US during two rounds of talks with US Commerce Secretary Lutnick in Washington, emphasizing that South Korea has no position of not fulfilling or delaying the agreement. But he also admitted that the relevant measures of the US to raise tariffs have "already begun to be implemented" and are advancing the announcement and sanctions preparation procedures. At present, the United States and South Korea have not reached a final conclusion and will continue to negotiate through video conference.

Regarding the highly concerned issue of investment in the United States by the US side, Kim Jong nam pointed out that the relevant projects can only be officially launched after the passage of the Special Act on Investment in the United States. The South Korean government is seeking to maintain necessary communication with the US side before the legislation is completed.

The differences have already emerged in the first round of talks. According to the East Asia Daily, the South Korean side proposed to conduct pre consultation on investment projects in the United States before the completion of the special law legislation, in order to fulfill investment arrangements as soon as the law is implemented. However, the US side requested that the South Korean side submit a clear "timetable for fulfilling investment obligations in the United States" as soon as possible.

Against the backdrop of increasing external pressure, doubts about the way the US exerts pressure in South Korea continue to escalate. An editorial published in the Korean National Daily pointed out that the two-day talks between Kim Jong nam and Lutnik failed to resolve the core contradiction of "further tariff pressure". If the "tariff uncertainty" is to be eliminated, the South Korean side may only be able to prove the fulfillment of investment commitments through practical actions. The editorial also mentioned that the US proposed last summer to "inspect investment performance on a quarterly basis and impose additional taxes if there are no results", and raised questions about the implementation of the existing memorandum of understanding and joint documents between South Korea and the US, which has made the atmosphere of bilateral economic and trade negotiations more tense.

The South Korean Democratic Party has stated that it will accelerate the legislative process of the Special Investment Act in the United States. Han Zhen'ai, the Speaker of the Policy Committee of the Common Democratic Party, said that the bill is expected to be submitted to the plenary session of Congress for review in late February to early March. But she bluntly stated that the continuous pressure exerted by the US during the negotiation process raises concerns about whether it is "creating unnecessary conflicts".

According to an analysis by the South Korean newspaper, the Central Daily News, although the South Korean side claims that the "misunderstanding has been eliminated", the administrative preparation process for the US to raise tariffs has already been substantially initiated. Whether this friction can be resolved still depends on the progress of the South Korean parliament's handling of the "Special Act on Investment in the United States". Zhang Shangzhi, director of the International Trade and Commerce Research Institute of the Korea Trade Association, said that in the future, the US may still repeatedly pressure South Korea based on investment industry selection or execution speed. Senior officials of the South Korean government also pointed out that among the multiple countries that have reached tariff agreements with the United States, South Korea alone is under pressure to raise tariffs, which is not a positive signal.