South Korea Opts Not to Retaliate Against US Tariffs

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The acting President of South Korea, Han Duck-soo, refuses to ally with China or Japan against U.S. President Donald Trump's new tariff policy.

“We will not take that route,” President Han said, as quoted by CNN on Tuesday, when asked if South Korea will join other countries, such as Japan or China, to fight against the U.S. tariffs.

An Asian democratic country and a long-time ally of the U.S. is facing a 25 percent tariff as part of Trump's global tariff imposition this week. This could hit the export-led economy that fills American homes and streets with brands like Samsung, LG, and Hyundai, as well as raise the costs of these goods for consumers.

Han, who took over the role after his predecessor was ousted during a military emergency crisis, stated that South Korea “clearly would like to negotiate” with the U.S. and praised the "very strong alliance" between the two countries.

“I don’t think that kind of fighting back will improve the situation dramatically,” he said, downplaying the significance of the recent meeting between trade ministers of the three Asian countries. “I don’t think it will be really profitable for the three of us, and especially for Korea.”

A few hours after speaking with CNN, Han talked with Trump over the phone. As reported by The New York Post, in a post on Truth Social, the U.S. president described the phone call as a "great call."

The 75-year-old veteran politician Han was appointed as the acting president in December after former leader Yoon Suk Yeol declared a military emergency. This led to his powers being suspended, impeached, and ultimately removed from his position last week.

However, Han was impeached just two weeks later for refusing to fill a vacant seat in one of the country's high courts and was reinstated at the end of March.

He had only been in office for nine days when Trump announced a series of tariffs that would be imposed on dozens of countries, despite a free trade agreement between Washington and Seoul.

During the interview, Han described the U.S. tariffs as “a pity” and acknowledged that “not everything will be solved in a day or two.” He also urged South Korean businesses to prepare for its impact.

However, he also expressed optimism, stating that he believes the two countries can resolve before production lines begin to shut down across South Korea.

Like Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who spoke with Trump on Monday night, Han said they are looking for a way out, not retaliation.

“I think we should, in a very cool way, assess what this kind of 25% means for us, and we should, in a very cool way, negotiate with them,” the English-fluent politician said, adding that he had sent his trade minister to Washington.

The comments come as China increasingly opposes Trump's trade war, describing his latest tariff threat as “mistake upon a mistake” and reiterating its pledge to "fight to the end."

Last week, Trump signed an executive order imposing retaliatory tariffs on U.S. trading partners, including a 34 percent import tariff on China, 24 percent on Japan, and 25 percent on South Korea.

The policy follows last month's imposition of 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, which will have a significant impact on South Korea, the fourth-largest exporter of steel to the United States.

These tariffs are in addition to a 25 percent levy on car and auto parts imports from the U.S., which has become one of the country's leading industries.

On Tuesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the U.S. would impose a 104 percent tariff on Chinese goods starting April 9. The move comes after Beijing missed a deadline set by President Donald Trump to reverse its retaliatory measures.

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