Signal Korea and the US settled tariffs at 15 percent with 350 billion dollars in investment commitments

Summary

After taking office in 2025, the Lee Jae-myung government concluded its most urgent task, tariff negotiations with the United States, on terms the report describes as reflecting Korean conditions as far as possible. The reciprocal tariff was fixed at 15 percent, and item tariffs on automobiles and parts were also set at 15 percent. For pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, the agreement promises treatment no worse than that of competing countries. Korea also finalised investment of 200 billion dollars in strategic sectors led by the US government and 150 billion dollars in the MASGA shipbuilding cooperation. The report says the deal removed much of the uncertainty over trade and industry.