The Trump administration is set to announce final trade measures against 60 trading partners, including South Korea, for failing to adequately block imports of products made with forced labor. A 12.5% additional tariff has been proposed for South Korea, drawing significant attention ahead of the final decision.
According to documents released by the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer stated in written testimony submitted on July 22 that "USTR will announce final actions regarding the failure to address products made with forced labor against 60 trading partners as early as tomorrow."
In March, the USTR initiated an investigation under Section 301 of the Trade Act to determine whether major trading partners of the U.S. were effectively prohibiting imports of products made with forced labor. Last month, the USTR suggested imposing additional tariffs of either 10% or 12.5% based on the findings of the investigation.
According to USTR documents, South Korea has been classified as a country that has not sufficiently implemented and enforced measures to ban imports of forced labor products. The final tariff rate and specific application methods for South Korea are expected to be confirmed in the upcoming announcement.
This action coincides with the expiration of a 10% global tariff imposed under Section 122 of the Trade Act. The White House has been enforcing a temporary 10% import tariff since February 24, lasting for 150 days.
Following a federal court ruling that halted existing reciprocal tariffs, the Trump administration has continued its tariff policy using other legal bases, including Section 301 of the Trade Act.
For South Korea, there is particular interest in how the proposed 12.5% additional tariff will relate to the existing U.S.-Korea trade agreement. The agreement stipulates a 15% tariff on South Korean products, which pertains to reciprocal tariffs and certain item-specific tariffs. The specific application of the Section 301 tariffs related to forced labor has not yet been disclosed.
Greer has previously expressed a commitment to respecting existing trade agreements. He emphasized, "While the specific authorities this administration is using have changed, our trade strategy has not. We will continue to utilize tariffs."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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