US President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement of 25 per cent tariffs on imports from key trade partners including South Korea and Japan has been viewed less as a final blow and more as a high-stakes bargaining tactic.
The move highlights Trump’s preference for brinkmanship-style deal-making and leaves room for diplomacy, as Seoul races to craft its response ahead of the new August 1 deadline, according to analysts.
South Korea’s presidential office convened an emergency meeting of cabinet ministers on Tuesday after Trump’s letter to President Lee Jae-myung formally notified the Lee administration of the planned tariffs.
The new date marks a three-week extension beyond the previously expected implementation of Washington’s tariffs on July 10, originally set after a 90-day pause.
The South Korean industry ministry has vowed to pursue a “mutually beneficial” agreement during the extended window.
Officials signalled plans to revise domestic regulations and enhance cooperation in strategic sectors such as shipbuilding and semiconductors as part of broader efforts to support a “manufacturing renaissance” in both countries.
