Korea Urged to Defend 15% U.S. Tariff Ceiling as New Section 301 Duties Take Hold

According to Yonhap, South Korea should work to protect the 15% tariff cap in its bilateral deal with the United States as Washington shifts from temporary global duties to new Section 301 tariffs that range from 10% to 12.5% on imports from 60 countries. The article said the new 12.5% tariff on South Korea remains within the agreed ceiling, but another Section 301 probe into alleged structural excess capacity is already under way and could push the combined burden above the limit unless exemptions or offsets are granted. It said Seoul should not rely on verbal assurances alone and should press negotiations until the tariff commitment is reflected in implementation. The piece also argued that South Korea should use planned U.S. investments, along with cooperation in energy infrastructure, shipbuilding and the MASGA initiative, to secure practical benefits such as tariff exclusions for advanced batteries, power-grid equipment and specialized shipbuilding. Businesses, it added, should assume a long-term environment of tariffs between 10% and 15%.