Trump says he is raising tariffs on South Korea to 25%

Al JazeeraCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete by John PowerJanuary 27, 2026 at 02:18 AM

AI Summary

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On January 27, 2026, US President Donald Trump announced he is raising tariffs on South Korean exports from 15% to 25% due to Seoul's legislature failing to ratify a trade deal agreed upon last year. The higher tariffs would apply to automobiles, lumber, pharmaceutical products, and goods covered under Trump's "reciprocal" tariff. South Korea's presidential office stated they had not received official notification of the tariff increase. In response, South Korean Minister of Trade Kim Jung-Kwan will travel to the US to discuss the matter with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. The US and South Korea had previously agreed to a framework trade deal in July, with Trump lowering tariffs on South Korean goods from 25% to 15%.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Gyeongju 30% Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 30% Canada 40% Lee Jae Myung 40% Kim Jung-Kwan 50% Kim Yong-beom 50% Howard Lutnick 50% Cheong Wa Dae ×260% United States ×480% Donald Trump ×690% South Korea ×890%

Keywords

tariffs 100% trade deal 90% south korea 80% united states 70% trade 60% reciprocal tariff 50% legislature 40% exports 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Negative

Score: -0.30

Source Transparency

Source

Al Jazeera

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

South Korea

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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tariffs trade deal south korea united states trade reciprocal tariff legislature exports

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