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About 64% of Koreans give positive assessment of trade deal with U.S., poll says

Published: 04 Aug. 2025, 11:48 Updated: 04 Aug. 2025, 14:34

A TV screen at Seoul Station, in the center of the capital, on July 31 shows a report that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has agreed to impose 15 percent tariffs on Korea, 10 percentage points lower than what was proposed, under a trade deal that would charge America no tariffs. [YONHAP]

More than 6 in 10 Koreans gave a positive assessment of the trade deal reached last week between Seoul and Washington, a poll showed Monday.

According to the survey conducted by Realmeter on 1,016 adults aged over 18 on Friday, 63.9 percent said they viewed the deal positively, while 32.3 percent had a negative view.

When asked about the most significant outcome of the negotiations, 23.8 percent cited the reduction of "reciprocal" tariffs to 15 percent and securing the same conditions that were granted to competing countries." Korea secured the same tariff rate as other key U.S. allies, including those in Europe and Japan.

Another 23.2 percent cited the exclusion of sensitive items, such as rice and beef, from the deal as the main achievement, followed by 17.4 percent who pointed to a $150 billion investment in the U.S. shipbuilding industry.

Over 67 percent of the respondents said the government made efforts in the negotiations, while 30.2 percent said it did not.

Last week, Seoul and Washington announced the framework of an agreement under which the U.S. lowered its "reciprocal" tariff rate for Korea to 15 percent from the threatened 25 percent in return for Seoul's pledge to invest $350 billion in the world's largest economy and purchase $100 billion worth of American liquefied natural gas and other energy products over the next four years.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level.

Yonhap