U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, October 29, 2025.
Tyrone Siu | Reuters
President Donald Trump said Monday it was raising tariffs on imports automobilespharmaceutical products and wood South Korea from 15% to 25% due to a delay in the approval by that country’s Parliament of a trade agreement with the United States reached last summer.
“The South Korean Parliament is not honoring its agreement with the United States,” Trump said in a statement. Social truth job.
“President Lee [Jae Myung] and I reached an important agreement for both countries on July 30, 2025, and we reaffirmed those terms while I was in Korea on October 29, 2025. Why didn’t the Korean legislature approve it?” Trump asked.
“Because the Korean legislature has not enacted our historic trade agreement, which is its prerogative, I hereby increase South Korean tariffs on automobiles, lumber, pharmaceuticals, and all other reciprocal tariffs, from 15% to 25%,” he wrote.
CNBC requested comment from the South Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C., on Trump’s announcement.
Reuters reported that South Korea’s presidential Blue House said the U.S. government had not officially informed South Korea of the tariff hike. The media outlet also reported that South Korea’s presidential adviser would hold a meeting with relevant ministries to discuss measures related to the increase.
South Korea is one of the largest exporters of goods to the United States.
The United States imported $131.6 billion worth of goods from South Korea in 2024, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
Automaker based in South Korea Hyundai engine is the country’s largest importer of new vehicles in the United States.
Read more about CNBC’s politics coverageIn the trade deal announced in July, Trump said the United States would impose across-the-board tariffs of 15% on imports from South Korea, 10 percentage points lower than the level he had threatened earlier that month.
Trump also said at the same time that South Korea had agreed to “give the United States $350 billion for investments owned and controlled by the United States, and selected by me, as president.”
United States. Supreme Court In November, arguments were heard in a case challenging the legality of Trump’s unilaterally imposed tariffs, with the justices expressing skepticism that he had the authority to impose such duties without congressional authorization.
The Supreme Court has not yet issued its decision in this case.
