USTR trade policy addresses Seoul's nontariff barrier pledges

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USTR trade policy addresses Seoul's nontariff barrier pledges

Published: 03 Mar. 2026, 12:21 Updated: 03 Mar. 2026, 14:56

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, center, speaks alongside Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick during a press conference with U.S. President Trump about the Supreme Court's striking down of most of Trump's tariffs in the briefing room at the White House in Washington on Feb. 20. [EPA/YONHAP]

WASHINGTON — The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Monday declared the institutionalization of a trade policy that puts the United States first.

The 2026 Trade Policy Agenda and 2025 Annual Report, released Monday, noted that Seoul pledged to address nontariff barriers affecting agricultural products and to prohibit discrimination against U.S. digital firms. The annual report, which the USTR described as submitted to Congress on Monday, reviews the previous year’s U.S. trade-policy performance and lays out the administration’s blueprint for the year ahead.

The USTR on Monday also pledged to institutionalize the “America First Trade Policy,” outlining plans to build on 2025 achievements and strengthen the approach in 2026 to sustain growth momentum for domestic producers and the U.S. economy.

The report’s key concept is “reciprocity,” based on the America First trade policy. the USTR assessed that reciprocal tariff measures announced last year on April 2 targeting all trading partners made a tangible contribution to reducing the U.S. trade deficit, increasing exports and supporting economic growth — concluding that the America First trade policy is producing results.

The USTR wrote that the monthly trade deficit fell from a year earlier each month through December 2025, while U.S. exports of goods and services rose by $199.8 billion, or 6.2 percent, to a record $3.4 trillion. It also said inflation-adjusted real personal disposable income increased 1.6 percent in 2025.

The USTR wrote it will push the America First trade policy more rigorously in 2026, including securing supply chains for critical minerals and other strategic industries, reviewing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, managing trade with China with an emphasis on "reciprocity and balance."

In its 2026 agenda, the USTR laid out six broad priorities: continuing the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART) program and tightening enforcement of ARTs, other trade agreements and U.S. trade laws; shoring up supply chains for critical minerals and other strategic industries; revisiting the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement; managing trade with China with an emphasis on reciprocity and balance; and promoting U.S. interests in international forums.

The ″2026 Trade Policy Agenda and 2025 Annual Report″ published by the Office of the United States Trade Representative on March 2 [SCREEN CAPTURE]

On Korea, the annual report included content from a joint fact sheet released on Nov. 13, 2025, reflecting agreements reached at a Korea-U.S. summit.

The USTR wrote that Korea pledged to invest $350 billion to support rebuilding U.S. manufacturing in key sectors, with $150 billion earmarked for the shipbuilding industry. It also listed steps to ease market access for U.S.-made cars in Korea, including abolishing an import quota of "50,000-unit cap on U.S.-originating FMVSS [Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards]-compliant vehicles."

The USTR also mentioned Korea promised to address "the backlog of market access requests for U.S. horticultural products and streamlining the regulatory approval process of U.S. biotechnology products."

The USTR added that Korea pledged to ensure that laws and policies related to digital services — including network usage fees and online competition regulations — do not discriminate against U.S. companies, and to facilitate cross-border data flows.

In its annual National Trade Estimate report, the USTR has repeatedly raised concerns about Korea’s online platform regulations, restrictions on location-based data and network usage fees. The Trump administration has continued to pressure Seoul to remove digital nontariff barriers even after the 2025 Korea-U.S. trade deal, citing moves to legislate an online platform law.

Harold Rogers, interim CEO of Coupang, arrives for a second round of police questioning at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Feb. 6. [NEWS1]

In January, U.S. investors in Coupang submitted a petition to the USTR requesting an investigation under Section 301, claiming a sweeping Korean government probe launched after a large-scale personal data breach amounted to discriminatory action against U.S. companies.

Section 301 of U.S. trade law allows the administration to impose retaliatory tariffs at its discretion after the USTR conducts an investigation and a public consultation process into discriminatory or unfair practices by trading partners.

The USTR is expected to decide by Sunday whether to open an investigation. With the Trump administration vowing to actively use Section 301 as a powerful trade weapon after a recent Supreme Court ruling that found the reciprocal tariffs unlawful, some observers say the USTR is likely to accept the petition and launch a probe.

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 KIM HYOUNG-GU [[email protected]]