The U.S. and South Korea have agreed to hold an urgent meeting between their foreign ministers to address the mounting pressure from the U.S. to increase mutual tariffs. This development comes approximately a week after President Donald Trump’s unexpected announcement of a surprise increase in tariffs. All eyes are now on whether the two nations can break the deadlock in their negotiations.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will depart for Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. He is scheduled to meet with Secretary of State and National Security Advisor Marco Rubio for bilateral talks that afternoon.
Initially, Minister Cho planned to visit the U.S. to attend the Ministerial Meeting on Critical Minerals hosted by the State Department on Wednesday, with the intention of having a brief interaction with Secretary Rubio. However, in a sudden turn of events, South Korea and the U.S. decided to hold a formal foreign ministers’ meeting just a day before Cho’s visit.
Some analysts speculate that this meeting could lead to a resolution of the mutual tariff issue, particularly since the outcomes may be officially announced. This marks the first foreign ministers’ meeting between the two countries in two months, following their last meeting in November.
The South Korean Foreign Ministry stated that it plans to engage in comprehensive discussions on current issues between the two countries, including measures to accelerate the implementation of the joint fact sheet.
On January 26, President Trump declared his intention to raise the mutual tariff on South Korea from 15% to 25%, asserting that the Korean legislature has not ratified the historic trade agreement. This announcement is widely interpreted as expressing dissatisfaction with the lack of progress on the U.S. Investment Special Law, which the South Korean government has been pushing through the National Assembly following the trade and commerce agreement reached last November.
In response to Trump’s bombshell announcement, South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan made an urgent trip to the U.S. on January 28, meeting twice with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Upon his return, Kim stated that he believes it has cleared up any unnecessary misunderstandings, though he did not disclose any specific solutions.
Following Minister Kim’s visit, Yeo Han-koo, head of the Trade Negotiation Bureau, also traveled to the U.S. to engage with government officials, members of Congress, and industry representatives in an effort to defuse the situation. Yeo is expected to remain in the U.S. until Thursday and is scheduled to meet with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
During the upcoming foreign ministers’ meeting, Minister Cho is expected to outline the timeline for the passage of the U.S. Investment Special Law to the American side and reaffirm the South Korean government’s commitment to implementing the investment agreement. He is also likely to express concerns that President Trump’s announcement could potentially strain the U.S.-South Korea alliance.