On July 7 (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that the trade relationship with Korea is not reciprocal and announced that a 25% reciprocal tariff would be imposed on all Korean products starting August 1.
In a letter published on social media platform Truth Social, Trump noted, "Unfortunately, our relationship has been far from reciprocal," adding, "Starting August 1, 2025, we will impose a mere 25% tariff on all Korean products sent to the United States, separate from all item-specific tariffs."
The 25% tariff is the same as the reciprocal tariff of 25% that Trump announced he would impose on Korea on April 2. Initially, Trump had postponed the imposition of the reciprocal tariff by 90 days on April 9, during which he had only applied the basic tariff of 10% on Korea while proceeding with trade negotiations. He said that if no new agreement is reached between Korea and the United States by August 1, the original 25% would be imposed.
The recipient of the letter is President Lee Jae-myung. Trump warned, "If for any reason you decide to raise your tariffs on Korea (to the U.S.), whatever you choose to raise them, an additional amount would be added to the 25% we have imposed on Korea." He also stated that products transshipped through third countries to evade tariffs will incur higher tariffs than 25%.
Trump said, "If you want to open the trade market that has been closed to the United States until now and eliminate your tariffs, non-tariff (barriers), policies, and trade barriers, we might consider adjusting this letter." He added, "These tariffs can be adjusted upwards or downwards depending on the relationship between your country and ours. You will never be disappointed in the United States."
Trump also indicated in a letter sent to Japan that a 25% tariff (reciprocal tariff) would be imposed on all Japanese products coming to the United States starting August 1. He stated that this is separate from the item-specific tariffs already imposed on automobiles, steel, and aluminum.
Trump stated that higher tariff rates would be applied to products transshipped from Japan to the United States. The 25% tariff was increased by 1 percentage point from the original reciprocal tariff rate of 24% Trump had set for Japan, matching the rate imposed on Korea.