Ambassador to the United States Kang Kyung-hwa said on the 24th (local time) regarding U.S. President Donald Trump imposing alternative tariffs worldwide after the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling that the reciprocal tariff was illegal, "Regarding the Supreme Court ruling, our government plans to respond in the way that best serves the national interest."
Kang said at a meeting with the Korean press corps held at the Korean Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., "This ruling does not provide clear guidance on refunds for tariffs already paid, so uncertainty remains over future refund procedures."
In line with the Supreme Court's ruling invalidating the reciprocal tariff, the Trump administration on this day put into effect a 10% "global tariff" under Section 122 of the Trade Act to replace the reciprocal tariff. The global tariff is imposed on almost all items except for certain items deemed essential to manufacturing, such as critical minerals, and items already subject to other tariffs. The White House is carrying out follow-up work after President Trump said he would raise the global tariff rate from 10% to 15%.
Because the global tariff is in effect only temporarily for 150 days, the Trump administration's "Plan B" is to use Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, which underpins item-specific tariffs, and Section 301 of the Trade Act, used to respond to unfair trade practices, to maintain tariffs at levels prior to the ruling that the reciprocal tariff was illegal.
In particular, Section 301 of the Trade Act is the provision cited by investors in Coupang in the United States when they asked the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to investigate following the large-scale personal data breach, raising concerns that the Coupang incident could escalate into a tariff issue.
As the House Judiciary Committee the previous day summoned Harold Rogers, the acting head of Coupang's Korea unit, to investigate alleged discrimination against Coupang in Korea, the Korean government is said to be explaining to the U.S. side that consumer protection is needed through a thorough investigation into the data breach while maintaining its position.
Regarding the Joint Factsheet between Korea and the United States, Kang said, "On Jan. 26, right after President Trump mentioned on social media raising tariffs on Korea due to delays in our National Assembly's legislation on investment in the United States, the embassy has been closely communicating with all levels of the U.S. administration to ascertain the U.S. side's intent and to manage the situation so it does not worsen."
On security, Kang emphasized, "So that cooperation in the three major areas of agreement in the Joint Facts—nuclear enrichment and reprocessing, nuclear-powered submarines, and shipbuilding—can proceed with speed, we intend to faithfully play our role at the embassy level and actively support these efforts."
Kang added, "As the recently released 'Maritime Action Plan' (MAP) by the United States includes elements that could be opportunities for us, such as partnerships with allies, we will take good note of this and work to achieve shipbuilding cooperation outcomes that allow both countries to win."
Regarding President Trump's visit to China next month, Kang said, "We are keeping all possibilities in mind regarding the possibility of U.S.-North Korea talks and are closely watching related developments," adding, "We are monitoring the situation by comprehensively considering various factors, including the progress of the Russia-Ukraine war, U.S.-China relations, and North Korea-China relations."