Trump Says "We Will Work Out a Solution with South Korea" on Tariff Hike Question

Negotiation Mode After Just One Day
Possibility of Withdrawing Tariff Hike Remains

Donald Trump, President of the United States, is speaking at a restaurant in Iowa on the 27th (local time). Photo by Reuters Yonhap News

On the 27th (local time), President Donald Trump of the United States stated that he would "work out a solution with South Korea" regarding his previously announced plan to raise tariffs on South Korean products.

Before departing for Iowa from the White House on this day, President Trump was asked by reporters about the tariff hike on South Korean products and responded, "We will work out a solution."

He reiterated, "We'll work something out with South Korea." This appears to leave room for the possibility of withdrawing the tariff hike plan through dialogue with the South Korean government.

The previous day, President Trump had criticized the delay in passing the Special Act on Investment in the United States by the National Assembly of South Korea via his social networking service, Truth Social, and announced that he would raise tariffs on South Korean products, such as automobiles, from 15% back up to 25%.

Meanwhile, in response to this newspaper’s inquiry about the background and meaning of President Trump’s remarks, the White House stated that it was because South Korea had failed to fulfill the promises it made in exchange for a tariff reduction. A White House official claimed, "President Trump lowered tariffs on South Korea, but South Korea has made no progress in fulfilling the end of the bargain it agreed to." However, the official did not provide answers regarding the specific background or timing of the tariff increase.