South Korea’s acting President Han Duck-soo on Thursday welcomed the temporary pause on U.S. reciprocal tariffs for countries that did not retaliate against Washington’s trade measures, urging swift action to capitalize on the 90-day window.
“We received somewhat comforting news this morning,” Han said during a ministerial meeting, as reported by Yonhap. He emphasized that South Korea must redouble its efforts to eliminate the threat of future tariff burdens by advancing negotiations across multiple trade channels.
The response comes after former U.S. President Donald Trump hiked tariffs on Chinese goods to 125% and simultaneously announced a 90-day pause with a reduced 10% reciprocal tariff for non-retaliating nations—a group that includes South Korea. Han noted he had already spoken to South Korea’s ambassador to the United States and instructed officials to engage actively with multiple American agencies during this period.
The U.S. tariff escalation has sent ripple effects through global trade, with countries now scrambling to secure their interests before the temporary relief expires.
