When asked about the Trump administration’s recent proclamation imposing tariffs on artificial intelligence chips, the spokesperson reiterated that Seoul will seek assurance that South Korean memory chip imports are not disadvantaged compared with key competitors.
The official highlighted that a joint fact sheet issued last year under the U.S.-South Korea trade agreement already included language intended to prevent South Korea from facing unequal treatment in U.S. tariff enforcement.
On Saturday, South Korea’s trade minister said the newly announced U.S. tariffs on certain advanced computing chips are expected to have only a limited impact on South Korean companies.
South Korean firms Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are among the world’s leading producers of memory chips, making tariff decisions in Washington closely watched in Seoul.