Korea shifts strategy to push back implementation date as U.S. tariff hike looms
Published: 04 Feb. 2026, 19:14
![U.S. President Donald Trump holds a binder clip as he speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on Jan. 20. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/04/7543f6a0-af68-4f79-8c4c-05e06c3f8137.jpg)
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a binder clip as he speaks during a press briefing at the White House in Washington on Jan. 20. [AP/YONHAP]
Despite Seoul’s back-to-back dispatch of top foreign affairs and trade officials to the United States for a last-minute persuasion push, Washington has shown no sign of backing off its plan to hike tariffs again.
With the United States' moves to publish the tariff hike in the Federal Register on the horizon, the Korean government is shifting its focus from blocking the planned hike to buying time by seeking a delay in the effective date after publication.
Yeo Han-koo, Korea’s chief trade negotiator at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, who left for Washington on Jan. 29, prepared to return home Tuesday without meeting his counterpart, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. The U.S. reportedly did not make time for the meeting, citing its tariff consultations with India and other scheduling constraints.
“Interagency talks within the U.S. government were underway regarding the Federal Register process,” Yeo said speaking to reporters at the airport. “Washington appeared not to fully understand differences in Korea’s system, and Korea would need to keep up its engagement with the United States.”
Yeo’s remarks were widely interpreted as indicating that White House aides have already drafted the Federal Register notice and that follow-up coordination is continuing among relevant agencies, including the Justice Department and the Commerce Department, over details and timing.
His trip came after Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan returned from Washington last Saturday, also without securing concrete results such as the withdrawal of the planned tariff increase.
“Korea had sufficiently explained its circumstances and commitment to implementing the existing agreement,” said a government official. “But acknowledged that misunderstandings on the U.S. side had not been completely resolved.”
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 31: Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (L) meets with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R) at the U.S. Department of State on July 31, 2025 in Washington, DC. The meeting comes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday a 15% tariff on imports from South Korea, down from the original 25% he had proposed. Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski /
U.S. President Donald Trump said in a social media post on Jan. 26 that he would raise tariffs on Korean-made automobiles and reciprocal tariffs, citing concerns over the National Assembly’s progress on legislation for a special bill on U.S. investment.
“Because the Korean Legislature hasn't enacted our Historic Trade Agreement, which is their prerogative, I am hereby increasing South Korean TARIFFS on Autos, Lumber, Pharma, and all other Reciprocal TARIFFS, from 15% to 25%,” read the post.
Publication in the Federal Register is the administrative step needed to formalize that announcement.
No shift in the U.S. stance was detected during a bilateral meeting in Washington on Tuesday between Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. If anything, analysts said the post-meeting readouts released by the two sides highlighted subtle differences in emphasis, reflecting the current stalemate.
“Cho explained Korea’s domestic efforts to implement a tariff agreement and follow through on planned investment in the United States,” said Korea’s Foreign Ministry. But the U.S. State Department’s readout did not mention tariffs at all.
![Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo speaks to the press at Incheon International Airport on Jan. 29. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/04/b96fbbad-744e-4126-9c24-c1bb114ae046.jpg)
Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo speaks to the press at Incheon International Airport on Jan. 29. [YONHAP]
Instead, the State Department said "the two leaders agreed to continue to work closely on civil nuclear power, nuclear-powered submarines, shipbuilding, and increasing ROK [Republic of Korea] investments to rebuild critical U.S. industries." Republic of Korea is South Korea's official name.
“The U.S. position appeared to be that Korea’s domestic political situation was beside the point and that Seoul should simply move faster on investment commitments,” said a source involved with diplomacy. “If anything, the talks at least confirmed that an agreement related to introducing nuclear-powered submarines as part of broader security cooperation is not in jeopardy during the tariff renegotiation climate.”
Within the Korean government, there is also a growing view that the Federal Register process has already entered the execution phase and is realistically difficult to reverse. With Trump having publicly committed to raising tariffs, officials see little room for his aides to put the brakes on the plan.
A senior ruling party official said Trump’s aides were “still green,” adding that as working-level officials, it would be difficult for them not to proceed with the implementation steps once they are set in motion.
In connection with this, the U.S. reportedly told the Korean government shortly after Trump’s Jan. 26 remarks that a draft notice had been prepared and will be published on the Federal Register, using the phrase “a matter of weeks.”
![Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan listens to questions from reporters upon arriving at Incheon International Airport from a trip to the U.S. on Jan. 31. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/04/3800774c-547f-49c4-bb57-4b09ab50a863.jpg)
Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan listens to questions from reporters upon arriving at Incheon International Airport from a trip to the U.S. on Jan. 31. [YONHAP]
That was seen as a clear signal that the administrative process would proceed on its intended path regardless of whether Korea passes the special investment bill or makes additional persuasion efforts. With eight days having already passed since Trump’s remarks, publication is now widely viewed as imminent.
Seoul’s strategy is therefore pivoting toward finding a workaround by delaying when the tariff hike actually takes effect. If publication can no longer be avoided, the government’s calculation is to push back the implementation date stated in the notice to secure time for legislation and follow-up negotiations.
Under that scenario, Korea would complete passage of the special investment bill and present tangible progress on U.S.-bound investment during the grace period to try to persuade Washington again.
“Even if the notice is published soon, the United States could still build in conditions, such as specifying a separate effective date or including language suggesting the tariffs could be restored to their previous level if the investment bill is passed,” said a source familiar with the discussions.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY YOON JI-WON, AHN HYO-SEONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
To write comments, please log in to one of the accounts.
Standards Board Policy (0/250자)