Trump says US to impose 15pct tariff on South Korean goods
"South Korea will give to the United States US$350 Billion Dollars for Investments," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, adding that the country would buy US$100 billion in liquefied natural gas or other energy products.
The 15 per cent rate is below a 25 per cent tariff that Trump had threatened earlier, and was equivalent to levies determined from US trade deals with Japan and the European Union.
Trump added that an additional unspecified "large sum of money" will be invested by Seoul.
"This sum will be announced within the next two weeks when the President of South Korea, Lee Jae Myung, comes to the White House for a Bilateral Meeting," Trump said, offering congratulations to his South Korean counterpart for his "electoral success."
South Korea's Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said Seoul's commitment to help the United States revive its shipbuilding industry was instrumental in helping the two sides sign the deal.
"I believe MASGA made the greatest contribution to reaching today's agreement," Koo said at a press conference in Washington, referring to the "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again" proposal in an apparent ode to the MAGA movement.
"Our world-class shipbuilding companies, equipped with the highest level of ship design and construction capabilities, are expected to help revive the US shipbuilding industry," he said.
South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean, which owns a shipyard in Philadelphia, saw its shares soar by more than 15 per cent in Thursday trading.
The two leaders' White House meeting will be their first since Lee assumed the presidency in June.
In a statement posted to Facebook, Lee called the deal "the first major trade challenge" since his administration took power, adding: "We have overcome a major hurdle."
"Through this deal, the government has eliminated uncertainty surrounding export conditions and ensured that US tariffs on our exports are either lower than or equal to those imposed on our major trade competitors," Lee said.
Lee was elected in a snap vote last month following the impeachment of his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, over his disastrous martial law declaration in December.
Now at the helm of Asia's fourth-largest economy, which is heavily reliant on exports, the trade deal marks an early victory for Lee's tenure.
"This agreement represents the convergence of US interests in revitalising its manufacturing sector and our determination to strengthen Korean companies' competitiveness in the American market," Lee's statement continued.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has imposed a sweeping 10 per cent tariff on allies and competitors alike – with rates set to increase for dozens of economies on Aug 1 – alongside steeper levels on steel, aluminium and autos.
In contrast with the 15 per cent tariff for South Korea, Trump on Wednesday also placed 25 per cent tariffs on imports from India and 50 per cent on those from Brazil.
The latter rate was determined in part as retaliation for what Trump has called a "witch hunt" against his far-right ally Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's former president who is currently undergoing a criminal trial.
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