Korea to move ahead with $350B in investments in U.S. despite Supreme Court's nixing of Trump tariffs
Published: 22 Feb. 2026, 16:46
Updated: 22 Feb. 2026, 18:33
Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI
![President Donald Trump attends the National Governors Association dinner at the White House in Washington on Feb. 21. [AP/YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/22/afaa49c6-b70a-407e-91a6-148cbde23daa.jpg)
President Donald Trump attends the National Governors Association dinner at the White House in Washington on Feb. 21. [AP/YONHAP]
Despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidating reciprocal tariffs, Korea will proceed as planned with $350 billion in investments in the United States.
Wi Sung-lac, national security adviser, and Kim Yong-beom, presidential chief of staff for policy, met on Friday with related ministries to discuss pending trade issues, including the investment deal, a senior Blue House official said on Sunday.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the reciprocal tariffs imposed worldwide by President Donald Trump last April were unlawful. Trump immediately signed an executive order imposing a new 10 percent tariff, which he later raised to 15 percent. Korea had initially been subject to a 25 percent reciprocal tariff from the United States, which was lowered to 15 percent on the condition that Seoul invest $350 billion in the United States. Some questioned whether the ruling nullified the $350 billion deal.
“From Korea’s standpoint, nothing has fundamentally changed,” a senior Blue House official said. “Interpreting the Supreme Court ruling to mean that the 25 percent reciprocal tariff has disappeared and that Korea will automatically be subject to a 15 percent tariff or lower is a self-serving interpretation.”
“The fact that the United States could raise the tariff back to 25 percent if Korea does not follow through on its investment has not changed,” the official added.
Even if reciprocal tariffs are invalidated, other avenues remain for imposing tariffs. The new tariffs imposed by Trump after the Supreme Court ruling fall under Section 122 of the U.S. Trade Act, which allows import restrictions of up to 15 percent for 150 days, and are separate from the reciprocal tariffs. Item-specific tariffs on automobiles and steel also remain in effect, and the possibility of additional tariffs cannot be ruled out.
![Containers are waiting to be exported at the Pyeongtaek Port in Gyeonggi on Feb. 22. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/02/22/d21eb858-d3ed-4898-acf4-e543405cc7bf.jpg)
Containers are waiting to be exported at the Pyeongtaek Port in Gyeonggi on Feb. 22. [YONHAP]
The investment plan is also linked not only to tariff reductions but to broader diplomatic and security issues, including Korea’s introduction of nuclear-powered submarines and uranium enrichment and reprocessing. The Blue House decision thus reflects its understanding that proceeding with the U.S. investment is unavoidable.
The government has already formed a committee to implement the memorandum of understanding for the Strategic Investment to review candidate projects and is accelerating its evaluation process. In the National Assembly, the ruling party plans to push ahead as scheduled with special legislation on U.S. investment, which would provide the legal basis for establishing an investment fund and an investment committee. The bill is slated for a plenary vote on March 5.
However, the Blue House believes tariff-related uncertainty has increased following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling, particularly regarding the possibility of higher item-specific tariffs. Even if reciprocal tariffs are nullified, increases in item-specific tariffs could deal a blow to major Korean industries such as automobiles, semiconductors and steel.
The Blue House is scheduled to hold a meeting related to tariffs at 8 p.m. Sunday to further discuss response measures. The meeting will be chaired by Wi and Kim, with Deputy Prime Minister Koo Yun-cheol, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo in attendance. Democratic Party floor leader Han Byung-do, policy committee chair Han Jeoung-ae and Rep. Jung Tae-ho, secretary of the party’s special committee on U.S. investment legislation, will also participate to discuss the handling of the special bill.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY YOON SUNG-MIN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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