[Breaking] US: "Launches Section 301 trade probe into 16 economies including South Korea, China and Japan"

The administration of US President Donald Trump is launching a Section 301 probe under US trade law—an advance step toward imposing additional tariffs—targeting 16 economies including South Korea, China and Japan.

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) said on the 11th (local time) in a notice published in the Federal Register that the probe will cover a total of 16 economies: South Korea; China; Japan; the European Union (EU); Singapore; Switzerland; Norway; Indonesia; Malaysia; Cambodia; Thailand; Vietnam; Taiwan; Bangladesh; Mexico; and India.

Section 301 of the Trade Act grants the executive branch authority to respond—through measures such as tariffs—to unjustifiable, unreasonable and discriminatory acts, policies and practices by foreign governments that restrict or burden US commerce.

The probe comes as the US Supreme Court last month invalidated reciprocal tariffs and related measures that had been imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA, enacted in 1977), prompting the Trump administration to pursue the introduction of "replacement tariffs."

Shin Hyun-bo, Hankyung.com reporter greaterfool@hankyung.com