South Korean leader refuses to resist Trump's tariffs

Prime Minister Han Dok-soo, who is currently acting as head of state, refused to resist import duties imposed by decree of US President Donald Trump. He said this in an interview with the Financial Times (FT) on April 19.

The politician said that he had recently had a telephone conversation with the American leader, which he described as good. The conversation took 28 minutes, and as a result, the South Korean leader agreed to reduce his country's trade surplus with the United States. This can be done, among other things, through the purchase of American liquefied natural gas (LNG) and airliners.

According to Han Dok-soo, the refusal to resist tariffs is motivated by the fact that the country is in debt to the United States for the aid provided in the middle of the 20th century.

Trade raft: China strengthens ties with Southeast Asia due to US pressure

Why Beijing's partners don't want to cut ties with the American market

On April 2, Trump announced the introduction of 10% base duties on products imported from other countries. For the European Union, this figure was raised to 20%, and for China — to 34%.

On April 9, the US president announced the suspension of duties previously imposed on a number of countries for 90 days. He also announced an immediate increase in duties on products from China to 125%. On April 10, this figure reached 145%.