Acting President Han vows to guide Korea safely through Trump 'tariff storm'

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Acting President Han vows to guide Korea safely through Trump 'tariff storm'

Published: 25 Mar. 2025, 17:54 Updated: 25 Mar. 2025, 18:46

MICHAEL LEE
[email protected]

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Acting President Han Duck-soo speaks at a meeting of ministers involved in public safety issues at the government complex in Jongno District, central Seoul, on March 25. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Acting President Han Duck-soo vowed on Tuesday that the Korean government under his watch would safeguard national interests against tariffs being pushed by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.

Han made the comments at the first Cabinet meeting he attended following his reinstatement as prime minister the previous day, when the Constitutional Court ruled to overturn his impeachment.

“The fallout from the U.S.-initiated trade war is significantly impacting the global economy and exacerbating hardships faced by the public, particularly the self-employed and small owners,” Han said.

“Our duty at this juncture is to protect people’s safety, secure national interests during the trade conflict, and promptly devise solutions to challenges facing the country through cooperation with the National Assembly,” he added.

The acting president emphasized that he would apply his experience in trade and foreign policy to steer the country through the “tariff storm” instigated by the United States.

He also stressed the importance of working with both the conservative People Power Party and the liberal Democratic Party to limit the impact of the economic crisis on people’s livelihoods.

The acting president urged Cabinet members to ensure the swift implementation of government policies while maintaining communication with the public.

Han also promised the government would mobilize all available resources, including helicopters and ground personnel, to tame wildfires that have been devastating the southeastern region of the country since Friday.

The acting president further promised that the government would fully support recovery efforts in the region.

Acting President Han Duck-soo, center, Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, right, and other ministers pledge allegiance to the Korean flag before a Cabinet meeting at the government complex in Jongno District, central Seoul, on March 25. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]

Han expressed “deep concern” that many medical students have not returned to school more than a year after they began boycotting classes in response to the government’s plan to hike the annual medical recruitment quota.

“Medical school students are talented people who will protect the lives of future and current generations of the Republic of Korea,” he said, referring to South Korea by its official name. “It is imperative that these individuals now return.”

Medical schools have recently begun issuing expulsion notices to students who have failed to return to classes.

The acting president also called on the military to maintain a heightened state of readiness, emphasizing the need for a robust response to any potential provocation from North Korea amid the increasingly tense security situation on the peninsula.

In a separate meeting later in the day with ministers involved in trade issues, Han announced a plan to replace the existing external economic affairs meeting, traditionally led by the deputy prime minister for economic affairs, with an “economic and security strategy task force” that he himself would head.

Acting President Han Duck-soo, right, speaks to Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy at the government complex in Jongno District, central Seoul, on March 25. Dunleavy is also scheduled to meet Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun and Joseph Yun, acting U.S. ambassador to South Korea, during his two-day trip to Seoul, which is intended to shore up economic ties between Korea and Alaska. Representatives from the Glenfarne Group and the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) are accompanying the governor on the trip. [PRIME MINISTER'S SECRETARIAT]

Han told ministers this change is intended to improve the government’s ability to respond to growing uncertainties surrounding U.S. tariff policies and other pressing global issues, according to the prime minister’s office.

The acting president also told ministers they must “meticulously monitor” new U.S. tariffs, which are expected to be announced on April 2, and devise rapid responses to limit their impact on the Korean economy.

The prime minister’s office said Tuesday evening that the White House had sent a message pledging continued cooperation with the Korean government.

“The U.S. is committed to working with Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and the ROK government,” the message said, referring to Korea by the acronym for its official name.

“We are confident in the democratic resilience of the ROK and the Korean people,” it added.

BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]