90% of Americans Oppose Raising Tariffs on Korea... 66% Say "Positive View of Korea, Culture Is Impressive"

68% of Respondents Say "Trade With Korea Benefits the U.S."
High Levels of Trust in U.S.-Korea Alliance and Overall Favorability Toward Korea

Nine out of ten Americans oppose raising tariffs on Korean products.

On October 3 (local time), Yonhap News Agency reported that a survey conducted by the Korea Economic Institute of America (KEI), a Washington-based think tank, and commissioned to polling firm YouGov, found that only 10% of respondents supported increasing tariffs on Korea.

In contrast, 33% of respondents said tariffs should remain at their current level, and another 33% said they should be lowered. The survey was conducted with 1,181 participants and has a margin of error of ±3.34 percentage points.

These results run counter to the protectionist policies being promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump. Support for raising tariffs on all foreign countries stood at about 15%. Among major trading partners, support for tariff hikes was as follows: China (26%), Mexico (18%), Canada (15%), European Union (EU, 14%), Japan (12%), and Korea (10%).

Cars waiting to be exported. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

Americans generally held a positive view of trade relations with Korea. Sixty-eight percent of respondents said that trade with Korea benefits the U.S. economy. In addition, attitudes toward foreign direct investment (FDI) from allied countries such as Japan (71%), Germany (70%), and Korea (62%) were generally favorable. In contrast, there were relatively more negative opinions regarding investment from China.

Trust in the South Korea-U.S. alliance also remained high. Sixty-three percent of all respondents said the alliance contributes to U.S. national security, and 60% said the current level of U.S. Forces Korea should be maintained or even increased. Forty-six percent believed that U.S. troops should remain stationed in Korea even if North Korea were to denuclearize.

Overall favorability toward Korea was also high. Sixty-six percent of respondents viewed Korea positively, and 60% said that Korean culture has had a positive impact on Korea's image. In particular, the Korean cultural elements most responsible for positive perceptions in the U.S. were food (42%), movies, cosmetics, and works of art (each 15%), and K-pop and TV shows (each 12%).

As for which countries would pose a "critical threat" to U.S. security over the next ten years, the responses were: Russia (54%), China (48%), North Korea (37%), and Iran (34%). Only 28% rated the Trump administration's response to North Korea positively, down slightly from 31% in 2020.