"US to Announce Reciprocal Tariffs on the 2nd of Next Month... Cars and Semiconductors to be Deferred"

WSJ "Targeted Tariffs on Surplus Countries with the US"

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 23rd (local time), citing administration officials, that when the United States announces reciprocal tariffs on the 2nd of next month, tariffs on items such as automobiles and semiconductors will be deferred.

WSJ reported that U.S. President Donald Trump plans to announce reciprocal tariffs focusing on countries that consistently record trade surpluses with the U.S. President Trump had previously stated that tariffs on items such as automobiles and semiconductors would be implemented along with reciprocal tariffs on April 2nd, but it is said that the focus will actually be on 'targeted tariffs' centered on countries with trade surpluses with the U.S. It is known that the possibility of implementing industry-specific tariffs this time is low.

Accordingly, it is reported that tariffs will be concentrated on the 'dirty 15' countries previously mentioned by Treasury Secretary Scott Besant. The dirty 15 refers to countries that achieve large trade surpluses with the U.S. through tariff and non-tariff barriers.

A source said that the targets for the targeted tariffs are similar to the countries announced in the gazette by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) last month. The gazette mentioned 21 countries, including South Korea, China, Japan, the European Union (EU), and Mexico.

The U.S. White House once considered dividing tariff rates into three stages: high, medium, and low, but canceled it. Instead, it is known that they are focusing on a plan to apply different tariff rates by country. Nevertheless, officials convey that "tariffs could be raised to levels not seen in decades."

Reporter Kim In-yeop inside@hankyung.com