{"id":279388,"date":"2025-07-21T07:34:11","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T07:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/279388\/"},"modified":"2025-07-21T07:34:11","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T07:34:11","slug":"in-south-korea-trumps-tariff-threats-place-us-love-affair-under-strain-donald-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/279388\/","title":{"rendered":"In South Korea, Trump\u2019s tariff threats place US love affair under strain | Donald Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"

Seoul, South Korea \u2013<\/strong> When Sideny Sim had a chance to visit the United States on business several years ago, it was the fulfilment of a lifelong dream.<\/p>\n

Like many\u00a0South Koreans, Sim had long admired the US as a cultural juggernaut and positive force in the world.<\/p>\n

These days, Sim, a 38-year-old engineer living near Seoul, feels no such love towards the country.<\/p>\n

As US President Donald Trump threatens to impose a 25 percent tariff on South Korea from August 1, Sim cannot help but feel betrayed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf they used to be a country that was known to be a leader in culture, the economy and the perception of being \u2018good,\u2019 I feel like the US is now a threat to geopolitical balance,\u201d Sim told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

South Korea and the US share deep and enduring ties.<\/p>\n

South Korea is one of Washington\u2019s closest allies in Asia, hosting about 28,000 US troops as a bulwark against North Korea.<\/p>\n

The US is home to a larger South Korean diaspora than any other country.<\/p>\n

But with the return of Trump\u2019s \u201cAmerica First\u201d agenda to Washington, DC, those ties are coming under strain.<\/p>\n

In a Pew Research Center survey released earlier this month, 61 percent of South Koreans expressed a favourable view of the US, down from 77 percent in 2024.<\/p>\n

Like dozens of other US trading partners, South Korea is facing severe economic disruption if it cannot reach a trade deal with the Trump administration by the August deadline.<\/p>\n

The Asian country, which is a major producer of electronics, ships and cars, generates more than 40 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) from exports.<\/p>\n

In addition to sending a letter to South Korean President Lee Jae-Myung outlining his tariff threats, Trump earlier this month also claimed that Seoul pays \u201cvery little\u201d to support the presence of US Forces Korea (USFK).<\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s comments reinforced speculation that he could demand that the South Korean government increase its national defence spending or contributions to the costs of the USFK.<\/p>\n

After Trump last week told reporters that South Korea \u201cwants to make a deal right now,\u201d Seoul\u2019s top trade envoy said that an \u201cin-principle\u201d agreement was possible by the deadline.<\/p>\n

With the clock ticking on a deal, the uncertainty created by Trump\u2019s trade policies has stirred resentment among many South Koreans.<\/p>\n

Kim Hyunju, a customer service agent working in Seoul, said that although her company would not be directly affected by the tariffs, Trump\u2019s trade salvoes did not seem fair.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt would only be fair if they are OK with us raising our tariffs to the same level as well,\u201d Kim told Al Jazeera, adding that the Trump administration\u2019s actions had caused her to feel animosity towards the US.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t help but see the US as a powerful nation which fulfils its interests with money and sheer power plays,\u201d Kim said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always thought of the US as a friendly ally that is special to us, especially in terms of national defence. I know it is good for us to maintain this friendly status, but I sort of lost faith when Trump also demanded a larger amount of money for the US military presence in our country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"hyunju\"Kim Hyun-ju says Trump\u2019s policies have made her feel animosity towards the US [Courtesy of Kim Hyun-ju]<\/p>\n

Kim Chang-chul, an investment strategist in Seoul, expressed a more sanguine view of Trump\u2019s trade policies, even while acknowledging the harm they could do to South Korean businesses.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe US tariff policy is a burden for our government and businesses, but the move really shows the depth of US decision-making and strategy,\u201d Kim told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrump wants South Korea to be more involved in the US\u2019s energy ambitions in Alaska. It\u2019s part of the US pushing for geopolitical realignment and economic rebalancing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, the US held talks with South Korean officials\u00a0about\u00a0boosting US exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to South Korea, a major LNG importer.<\/p>\n

Keum Hye-yoon, a researcher at the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP), said it has been difficult for a US ally like South Korea to make sense of Trump\u2019s comments and actions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen Trump cites \u2018fairness\u2019 in his tariff policy, it\u2019s based on unilateral expectations of improving the US trade balance or restoring economic strength to certain industries,\u201d Keum told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs allies like South Korea share supply chains with the US and work closely with its companies, disregarding these structures and imposing high taxes will likely create burdens on US businesses and consumers as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Trump\u2019s most severe tariffs have yet to come into effect, South Korean manufacturers have already reported some disruption.<\/p>\n

South Korea\u2019s exports dropped 2.2 percent in the first 20 days of July compared with a year earlier, according to preliminary data released by Korea Customs Service on Monday.<\/p>\n

Kim Sung-hyeok, the head of research at the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) Labour Institute, said exporters in the auto, steel, semiconductor and pharmaceutical sectors had been especially affected.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs exports in these fields decreased considerably since the tariff announcements, production orders in domestic factories have declined,\u201d Kim told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome automotive and steel production lines have closed temporarily, while other manufacturing sites have closed altogether. Voluntary resignations and redeployments have become rampant in some of these workplaces.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kim said small companies may face the brunt of the tariffs as they are not capable of \u201cmoving their manufacturing plants to the US\u201d, or \u201cdiversifying their trade avenues outside of the US\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd as major companies face a general decline in exports, these small companies will consequently face a shortage in product delivery volume that will cause employment disputes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"exports\"Vehicles for export at a port in Pyeongtaek, southwest of Seoul, on July 8, 2025 [Anthony Wallace\/AFP]<\/p>\n

The Korea Development Institute estimated in May that the number of employed South Koreans would increase by just 90,000 this year, in part due to the economic uncertainties, compared with a rise of 160,000 last year.<\/p>\n

Even before Trump\u2019s arrival on the political scene, US-South Korea relations had gone through difficult periods in the past.<\/p>\n

In 2002, two South Korean middle-school girls were killed when they were struck by a US Army armoured vehicle.<\/p>\n

After the American soldiers involved in the incident were found not guilty of negligent homicide by a US military court, the country saw an explosion in anti-US sentiment and nationwide protests.<\/p>\n

In 2008, nationwide protests took place after the South Korean government decided to continue importing US beef despite concerns about the risk of Mad Cow Disease.<\/p>\n

More recently, President Lee, who was elected in June, has emphasised the importance of maintaining positive relations with China, Washington\u2019s biggest strategic rival and competitor.<\/p>\n

The KIEP\u2019s Keum said the US-South Korea relationship has evolved into a partnership where the US has become a \u201cconditional ally\u201d, where \u201ceconomic interests take precedence over traditional alliance\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe US is increasingly demanding South Korea to cooperate in its containment strategy of China among its other socioeconomic policies,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Keum said that South Korea will need to seek out alternative markets and diversify its exports to mitigate the\u00a0fallout of Trump\u2019s agenda.<\/p>\n

\u201cSouth Korea also doesn\u2019t need to act alone. The country can seek joint action with countries such as EU members, Japan and Canada to come up with joint responses to the current predicament,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Seoul, South Korea \u2013 When Sideny Sim had a chance to visit the United States on business several…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":279389,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5311],"tags":[11410,12633,32,1700,3058,525,1219,49,978,659],"class_list":{"0":"post-279388","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"tag-asia-pacific","9":"tag-business-and-economy","10":"tag-donald-trump","11":"tag-economy","12":"tag-international-trade","13":"tag-south-korea","14":"tag-trade-war","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-us","17":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114890071392630824","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279388","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=279388"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279388\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/279389"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=279388"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=279388"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=279388"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}