Tariff pain looms for South Korea after US talks hit deadlock

South Korea is bracing for prolonged US tariff pressure after last week’s emergency talks in Washington failed to yield a breakthrough, exposing the growing uncertainty that has come to define trade ties under US President Donald Trump.Korean Trade Minister Kim Jung-kwan returned home empty-handed on Sunday after two rounds of meetings with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, fuelling concern in Seoul that negotiations could drag on until the US midterm elections later this year.Kim insisted at the weekend that “mutual understanding has deepened significantly”, and “some unnecessary misunderstandings have been resolved”. But he also acknowledged that his trip had fallen short of expectations, conceding that the “amicable solution” he had promised did not materialise.South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan speaks to reporters at Dulles International Airport near Washington on Wednesday last week. Photo: Yonhap/EPAHe said he had told US officials that the delay in implementing the agreement was not intentional, citing a crowded National Assembly schedule in December and January – including confirmation hearings for a new economy and finance minister.