Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo Delays Return Over Trump’s Semiconductor Proclamation: “Further Assessment Needed in U.S.”

Trump Signs Successive Proclamations on Semiconductors and Critical Minerals
"Ministry of Trade and Industry and Businesses Jointly Analyzing Impact on Korean Companies"

Yonhap News Agency

Yeo Han-koo, Trade Minister at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, who is currently visiting the United States, has postponed his return by one day to assess the potential ripple effects after U.S. President Donald Trump signed a series of proclamations related to semiconductors and critical minerals.

On the 14th (local time), Yeo met with reporters at Union Station in Washington, D.C., stating, "New executive orders concerning semiconductors and critical minerals have been announced," and added, "I plan to stay in Washington for one more day to better understand the situation." He had originally planned to travel to New York that day and return to Korea on a night flight, but changed his schedule.

Regarding the impact of President Trump's semiconductor tariff proclamation on Korean companies, he explained, "We are closely monitoring the situation, so it is difficult to comment prematurely," and added, "The Ministry and the industry are jointly analyzing the situation." He continued, "I intend to stay one more day to see if there are additional matters to investigate or people to meet locally in the U.S."

Earlier, President Trump signed a proclamation imposing a 25% tariff on semiconductor chips imported into the United States and then re-exported to third countries. According to the White House, this measure mainly targets AI accelerator semiconductors such as NVIDIA's 'H200', and is based on the results of an investigation by the U.S. Department of Commerce under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act into the impact of semiconductor imports on U.S. national security.

The White House stated in a fact sheet, "President Trump may soon impose broader import tariffs to promote the manufacturing of semiconductors and related products within the United States, and may introduce a corresponding tariff offset program."

In a separate proclamation, President Trump also instructed negotiations with trading partners to realign the structure of critical mineral imports to better serve U.S. national security. The proclamation also included the possibility of measures such as setting minimum import prices for certain critical minerals depending on the outcome of these negotiations.