South Korean Government Fails to Submit Opinion on U.S. Lumber Tariff Investigation

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has announced plans to impose separate, item-specific tariffs on lumber, but it has been reported that the South Korean government has not submitted an official opinion to the United States.

According to the government on April 20, the U.S. Department of Commerce accepted opinions from foreign governments regarding the imposition of tariffs on imported lumber for a one-month period from last month until April 1. South Korea did not submit an official position.

On March 1, President Trump signed an executive order instructing the Secretary of Commerce to investigate the impact of lumber imports (both raw and processed lumber) on national security.

This measure is interpreted as being aimed at countries such as Canada, which supplies large quantities of lumber to the United States. Last year, Canada accounted for the largest share of U.S. imports of "wood and articles of wood; wood charcoal" at 48.54%. China followed with 8.49%, Chile with 4.57%, and South Korea accounted for only 0.05%.

However, some observers suggest that the lack of a submitted opinion may have resulted from insufficient communication among relevant government agencies. Although South Korea's share is small, there are domestic companies that export lumber to the United States, and critics argue that the government should have made efforts to communicate with U.S. authorities.