Trump pushes on defense cost-sharing and tariff issues with S. Korea

Just a day after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on its trading partners including South Korea, he said Seoul should be paying more for the U.S. military presence on the Peninsula.

As Trump looks to tie defense cost-sharing with broader tariff issues, Seoul now faces a challenging balancing act in negotiations.

Our Ahn Sung-jin starts us off.

U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for a "one-stop shopping" deal with South Korea on defense and trade.

He continues to signal a hardline stance as he demands that Seoul increases its contributions to U.S. defense costs.

At the White House on Tuesday, Trump stated that its Asian ally was underpaying for military protection, referring back to negotiations during his first term where he claimed he demanded that Seoul should pay 10 billion U.S. dollars a year in defense cost-sharing, a figure far above current levels.

"You know, we have 45,000 soldiers in South Korea. And, you know, that's a huge economic development for them. That's tremendous amount. That's like having a city. It's tremendous money for them and it's a tremendous loss for us."

Unlike Trump's assertion, there are currently around 28-thousand U.S. military troops in Korea.

Trump also stated he is imposing tariffs on specific sectors including semiconductors, one of Korea's critical exports which the country exported 10-point-7 billion of products to the U.S. in 2024.

When the semiconductor tariff would take effect and the exact rate hasn't been specified.

He also announced an incoming tariff on copper to boost U.S. production of a metal critical to electric vehicles and other consumer goods.

"We did steel, as you know, they're 50%, we did aluminum 50%, lumber just came out. And we did cars and now today we're doing copper. I believe the tariff on copper, we're going to make it 50%."

Pharmaceutical imports could also face up to a 200% tariff.

These remarks come just one day after Trump notified South Korea and Japan of a 25 percent tariff set to take effect on August 1st.

Trump posted on his social media Truth Social on Tuesday that the deadline is firm and though negotiations could still happen, "no extensions will be granted."

As the August 1st tariff deadline looms closer, South Korea not only has to defend its key industries, but also preserve its security alliance with the U.S., adding to the complexity of the high-stake negotiations.

Ahn Sung-jin, Arirang News.