Korea Has No President... Yet Trump's Bombshell Statement Causes 'High Tension' [Global Trade War]

Trump Acts as 'Leader' for US Companies

"Will Address Non-Tariff Barriers Through Tariffs"

The Trump administration has decided to impose reciprocal tariffs starting from April 2, considering both tariffs and non-tariff barriers of trading partners. They plan to impose tariffs on countries with trade surpluses against the US by treating value-added tax and exchange rates as 'non-tariff barriers.' Korea, which applies zero tariffs to most US products under the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA), faces increased likelihood of becoming a reciprocal tariff target.

President Trump signed a memorandum at the White House on the 13th (local time) directing the Treasury Department, Commerce Department, and United States Trade Representative (USTR) to impose reciprocal tariffs. In the directive, Trump ordered to "review tariffs of trading partners as well as non-tariff barriers including taxes like VAT imposed on US businesses, workers and consumers, subsidies, regulations, exchange rates, and other practices that hinder fair competition."

He stated that "reciprocal tariffs are necessary to reduce persistent goods trade deficits and address unfair and unbalanced aspects of trade." While initial expectations were that the US would impose tariffs matching those placed on US products by other countries, the Trump administration has now raised issues with various non-tariff barriers as well.

[Content continues with detailed analysis of trade policies and implications...]

US May Target Drug Prices, Network Usage Fees

The US plans to impose reciprocal tariffs primarily on countries with goods trade deficits. A senior White House official stated, "Whether it's competitors like the Chinese Communist Party or allies like the EU, Japan, and Korea, every country is taking advantage of us in different ways." With Korea specifically mentioned, there's very little chance it will be excluded despite being an FTA partner.

[Content continues with analysis of specific sectors and potential impacts...]

Tariffs Could Begin as Early as April

It remains unclear exactly how the US will implement reciprocal tariffs. A Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy official analyzed that "while there's no international formula for converting non-tariff measures into tariff rates, the US might impose additional tariffs on items with large trade surpluses like semiconductors or automobiles."

[Content continues with implementation details and diplomatic implications...]