The Blue House said on the 2nd that it would "respond by monitoring related trends and analyzing the impact on us," after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 25% tariff on automobiles and trucks from the European Union (EU).
A Blue House official said that afternoon, "The government has continuously monitored follow-up developments after the U.S.-EU tariff agreement," making the remarks.
Trump announced on the social media platform Truth Social that, "In light of the EU's failure to honor a trade agreement we fully agreed upon, we will raise the tariffs imposed on EU automobiles and trucks entering the United States starting next week," adding, "The tariff rate will be raised to 25%."
A Blue House official said, "We will respond under the principle of securing a balance of benefits under the existing Korea-U.S. agreement and treatment that is not disadvantageous compared to other countries," adding, "The government is in frequent, close communication with the U.S. side regarding the Korea-U.S. tariff agreement to discuss ways to implement follow-up measures, and will work to ensure that Korea-U.S. trade relations can be managed stably."
On the U.S. Department of Defense's decision to withdraw some 5,000 troops from Germany, the Blue House said it is "paying attention to the review of and potential changes to U.S. forces' global force posture," adding, "The government is closely cooperating with the U.S. side so that U.S. Forces Korea can contribute to a firm Korea-U.S. combined defense posture under stable stationing."
Kang Yu-jung, senior presidential spokesperson, said at a briefing on the 30th that "there are currently no discussions between Korea and the United States on reducing or withdrawing U.S. Forces Korea."