FILE PHOTO: Korean Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok speaks during a trilateral meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Japanese Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki on the sidelines of the IMF/G20 meetings, at the U.S. Treasury in Washington, U.S., April 17, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok said on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump's "America First" policies had started targeting his country.
Choi said discussions with the United States over tariff measures and stronger cooperation on energy and shipbuilding were beginning ahead of "reciprocal tariffs" set to take effect on April 2.
The U.S. President announced a global regime of reciprocal tariffs on all U.S. trading partners from April 2.
Trump has threatened to impose "all-out pressure" on South Korea, Choi said, citing his comments to the U.S. Congress where he singled out the key U.S. Asia ally for applying high tariffs.
Earlier this week, Choi ordered authorities to actively communicate with the Trump administration to resolve any misunderstanding about tariff rates.
"The government will only consider the national interest and respond with 'a cool head and flexibility’, and will devote all our efforts to finding a mutual win-win agreement between South Korea and the United States," Choi told a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
Trump also wants to scrap a bipartisan law that provides subsidies for semiconductor chip manufacturing and production.
In the final weeks of the previous U.S. administration, the Commerce Department finalised more than $33 billion in awards including $4.7 billion to South Korea's Samsung Electronics.
Separately, Choi also noted rising public concerns in South Korea over the risk of physical conflict ahead of an "important ruling" by the Constitutional Court. He said the government would deal sternly with any violent, illegal protests "without any tolerance."
Police are preparing for the "worst-case scenarios" over safety concerns when the Constitutional Court rules on whether to oust or reinstate impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol.
Yoon supporters and opponents have been taking to the streets to hold rallies, amid a political crisis triggered by the suspended president's brief imposition of martial law last year.
(Reporting by Ju-min Park and Cynthia Kim; Editing by Ed Davies)
