US Imposes 'Forced Labor Tariffs' on 60 Countries... South Korea Set at 12.5%

[Anchor]

The United States has announced the imposition of forced labor tariffs on 60 countries. For South Korea, the tariff rate has been finalized at 12.5%.

Correspondent Jeon Byeong-nam reports from Washington.

[Reporter]

The Donald Trump administration has levied forced labor tariffs ranging from 10% to 12.5% on 60 countries under Section 301 of the Trade Act.

South Korea, along with countries like Japan, has effectively been subjected to a 12.5% tariff.

Previously, after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in February rendered existing reciprocal tariffs unlawful, the Trump administration utilized Section 122 of the Trade Act to impose a 10% global tariff.

As the expiration deadline for Section 122 approaches tomorrow (July 25), the USTR decided to apply new tariffs by invoking Section 301.

This effectively creates a structure where global tariffs filled the void left by the unlawful reciprocal tariffs, and as the global tariff expiration nears, they are being replaced once again by Section 301 tariffs.

Meanwhile, the South Korean government has maintained its stance that the tariff rate should not exceed the 15% agreed upon last year.

Separate product-specific tariffs continue to apply to steel, aluminum, and automobiles.

Semiconductors also maintain a zero-tariff status as South Korea and the U.S. agreed to ensure treatment no less favorable than that of major competing nations.

The new tariffs will take effect at midnight tomorrow, Eastern Time.

Amid these developments, the South Korea-U.S. Shipbuilding Cooperation Center was launched in Washington last night (Korea time) to implement the MASGA project.

[Kim Jeong-gwan / Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy: What is more important is that this is a symbol of South Korea's strong commitment to supporting the U.S. shipbuilding industry. South Korea strongly supports President Trump's "American Maritime Action Plan".]

In particular, it was announced that warships and liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers would be built in the United States, establishing a robust shipbuilding supply chain in the country.

The U.S. practically pressured South Korea for concrete investment and production outcomes, such as vessel production volumes within the U.S.

[Howard Lutnick / U.S. Secretary of Commerce: Talk is meaningless. It's not about talking about ship production in the U.S., but actually building ships inside the United States that matters.]

Furthermore, stating that all types of warships and commercial vessels must be built within the U.S., he also expressed willingness for active support.

(Photo contributed by Park Eun-ha | Video edited by Chae Chul-ho)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.