South

Feb. 6 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s Defense Ministry said Thursday it is consulting with the United Nations Command on ways to manage the Demilitarized Zone more effectively.

A ministry official told reporters that discussions on improving and streamlining DMZ management have been under way at the working level since early this year, following the inauguration of Defense Minister Ahn Kyu-baek.

Media reports earlier indicated that the ministry has proposed a revised jurisdictional arrangement within the southern section of the DMZ. Under the proposal, areas north of the existing fence would remain under the UN Command’s authority, while areas south of the fence would be managed by the South Korean military.

The DMZ extends 2 kilometers south of the Military Demarcation Line, forming the southern DMZ zone. Although the fence was originally intended to follow the Southern Limit Line marking that boundary, it was installed slightly farther north to facilitate surveillance and guard operations against North Korea.

As a result, the area south of the fence accounts for about 30% of the southern DMZ zone, according to the ministry.

The Defense Ministry is expected to raise the issue of DMZ management formally with the U.S. side, which holds command authority over the UN Command, later this year. Officials said Seoul has also proposed addressing the issue through bilateral defense consultative frameworks, including the Korea-U.S. Integrated Defense Dialogue and the Security Consultative Meeting.

The ministry emphasized that discussions with the UN Command remain at an early, working-level stage. “We will provide further explanations as talks progress,” the official said.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260206010002476

Feb. 6 (Asia Today) — South Korea could face a shortage of up to 4,800 physicians by 2037, the government said Thursday, as it moves closer to deciding how much to expand medical school enrollment amid mounting opposition from doctors’ groups.

The estimate was presented at the sixth meeting of the Health and Medical Policy Deliberation Committee, where the Health Ministry selected a supply-based projection model using the so-called inflow-outflow method. The model estimates future physician supply by factoring in new medical licenses and mortality rates.

Under the model, South Korea is projected to have about 135,369 practicing doctors by 2037. Even with that increase, officials estimate a shortfall ranging from 4,262 to 4,800 physicians, depending on assumptions.

Health Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong said strengthening physician training is a prerequisite for rebuilding regional, essential and public healthcare systems. “Appropriate workforce development is the first step toward restoring healthcare delivery outside major urban centers,” she said.

The ministry opted for a license-based supply model that relies on relatively stable indicators, such as new entrants and deaths, rather than more variable demand-side projections. A task force advising the committee said the model has been validated through multiple domestic and international studies.

Only the scale of enrollment expansion remains undecided. The government plans to announce next week the medical school quota for the five-year period starting in the 2027 academic year.

The proposal, however, continues to draw resistance from medical groups, including the Korean Medical Association, which argue the projections are flawed. Critics say the estimates fail to reflect differences by region and specialty, underestimate future productivity gains from artificial intelligence and rely on overly limited variables.

KMA spokesperson Kim Seong-geun warned this week that if the government pushes ahead based on what he called “distorted data,” the association would take action and hold the government fully responsible for the consequences.

Education experts also cautioned that any expansion must be accompanied by measures to protect training quality. One academic noted that overlapping cohorts from recent academic years have already strained teaching capacity and said closer monitoring will be needed to prevent deterioration in medical education and residency training.

At Thursday’s meeting, officials also reviewed discussions from a recent Medical Innovation Committee session and consultations with medical educators. Based on those talks, the ministry said it plans to cap enrollment increases to avoid excessive strain on schools and apply different standards to national universities and smaller medical colleges.

Jeong said the next committee meeting will outline not only physician training numbers but also broader policy measures to support regional healthcare staffing.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260206010002529

SEOUL, Feb. 5 (UPI) — South Korean radar solution company bitsensing said Thursday it launched an aftermarket advanced driver assistance system kit that can be installed in existing commercial vehicles.

The company said that the kit, which is composed of radar sensors and cameras, would enhance safety and driving awareness by providing real-time alerts for collision risk and blind-spot hazards.

bitsensing is targeting commercial vehicles such as buses and trucks, which the firm claims are more prone to road accidents due to longer braking distances and larger blind spots compared to passenger cars.

Commercial vehicles account for 14% of all fatal road crashes in the European Union and 9% in the United States, according to data from transportation authorities in those regions.

The Korean company said that it has been conducting pilot tests of the new product since November in partnership with Koreawide Express Group, the country’s bus operator.

Under the collaboration, bitsensing’s driver assistance kits were installed across Koreawide’s fleet of intercity and city buses in real-world road environments, with plans to expand deployment to more than 500 buses.

“Commercial vehicles operate in some of the most demanding road environments, yet many fleets still lack access to modern driver warning systems,” bitsensing CEO Lee Jae-eun said in a statement.

“The ADAS kit was developed to close that gap, delivering a complete, system-level ADAS solution that can be deployed on existing vehicles without redesigning the vehicle platform,” he added.

Observers point out that aftermarket safety systems continue to gain traction as fleet operators seek cost-effective ways to upgrade older vehicles.

“Newer commercial vehicles tend to be equipped with advanced safety features, but many conventional vehicles lack such systems, making them more vulnerable to accidents,” Daelim College automotive professor Kim Pil-soo told UPI.

“To deal with such problems, aftermarket solutions are necessary to help commercial vehicles navigate increasingly complex urban driving environments more safely,” he said.

Kim said he expects an increasing number of ADAS kits to compete in the market, including LiDAR sensor-free solutions, such as bitsensing’s products that can be competitively priced.

Short for Light Detection and Ranging, LiDAR is a costly sensing technology that enables vehicles to perceive their surroundings in three dimensions with very high precision.

The United States has hosted its first critical minerals summit aimed at challenging China’s dominance of the global supply chain for rare earth elements. But political economist Stefan Zylinski warns that Global South countries are likely to bear the greatest cost from any plan conceived by the Global North.

SEOUL, Feb. 5 (UPI) — South Korea will seek closer cooperation with China to stabilize supplies of rare earth minerals critical to its high-tech industries, the government said Thursday, as Seoul unveiled a strategy to strengthen supply chain security.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources announced a comprehensive plan calling for expanded cooperation channels with Beijing, including the establishment of a government-to-government hotline and joint consultative body to help prevent supply disruptions.

The initiative comes as South Korea, one of the world’s top high-tech exporters, remains heavily reliant on imported raw materials essential to manufacturing.

“South Korea has developed advanced industries such as semiconductors, electric vehicles and batteries, but as a resource-importing country, we face many challenges in managing supply chains,” Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said during a visit to a rare earth magnet manufacturer in Daegu.

“Our national competitiveness depends on industrial resource security, and the government will focus its policy capabilities on building a resilient industrial structure that is not shaken by external changes,” he said.

Rare earth elements — a group of 17 metals used in components such as permanent magnets, electric motors and advanced electronics — are widely considered vital to next-generation manufacturing. China’s dominance of rare earth processing and refining has left global manufacturers vulnerable to export controls and geopolitical tensions.

Under the plan, South Korea will designate all 17 rare earth elements as core strategic minerals and create new customs classification codes to improve monitoring and demand forecasting.

Seoul also aims to expand domestic production and recycling capacity through regulatory reforms and subsidies for new facilities, while creating a dedicated rare earth research and development fund under an existing industrial innovation investment program.

To support overseas supply diversification, the government will increase policy loans for overseas resource development to $46.2 million this year, up from $26.6 million in 2025, while expanding the state financing coverage ratio to 70% from 50%, the ministry said.

Beyond China, South Korea said it will pursue supply partnerships with countries including Vietnam and Laos as part of efforts to diversify procurement channels and reduce reliance on any single supplier.

The announcement comes a day after South Korea was tapped to chair Washington’s Forum on Resource Geostrategic Engagement, or FORGE, a U.S.-led framework aimed at strengthening supply chain resilience among allied economies for critical minerals and emerging technologies.

Times keep changing in high school sports, but some things stay the same, such as neighborhoods embracing their local sports teams whether they win or lose.

In the city of South Gate, there’s three high schools nearby one another, which draws fans to gyms, football fields, soccer fields, baseball and softball diamonds.

South Gate and South East are set to play in a Friday night Eastern League basketball game. Legacy is also in South Gate.

Steven Reyes, an assistant basketball coach at South Gate, offered an observation about participating in the rivalry games:

“This is a really strong local sports story because it’s not just about basketball — it’s about the city. In South Gate, three high schools are battling for city bragging rights, and every matchup feels like a playoff game. The gyms are packed, the community shows up, and the players know they’re representing more than just a team.

“What makes it special is the rivalry. These kids grow up playing against each other, they know each other, and when they face off, it’s personal — but in a competitive, respectful way. Each school has a different style, different identity, and it creates real drama throughout the season.

“It’s the kind of story that shows how sports bring a city together. Parents, alumni, and students are all invested, and the outcome actually matters to the community. This isn’t a one-game story — it’s an ongoing battle for pride, momentum, and respect. That’s why it’s compelling.”

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Jan. 30 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s presidential office said Friday that financial authorities are in close communication with the U.S. Treasury Department after Washington redesignated South Korea on its foreign exchange monitoring list.

The office said the Treasury reaffirmed in its latest currency report that the recent weakening of the won was not consistent with South Korea’s economic fundamentals.

At the same time, the office said it understood the redesignation was made in a “mechanical” way based on the Treasury’s evaluation criteria.

South Korea was removed from the monitoring list in November 2023 after being listed since April 2016, but was added back in November 2024 and remained on the list in the latest report, according to the office and South Korean media reports.

The Treasury cited South Korea’s sharply larger current account surplus and its expanded goods and services surplus with the United States as reasons it continues to warrant monitoring, the report said.

In the January report, the Treasury said its monitoring list includes 10 economies: China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260130010013828

Jan. 29 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s Ministry of Economy and Finance on Wednesday designated 11 new public institutions, bringing the total to 342, while postponing a decision on whether to classify the Financial Supervisory Service as a public institution until next year.

The decision was made at a meeting of the Public Institution Management Committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yoon-cheol at the Government Complex Seoul.

The newly designated institutions met statutory criteria, including receiving government support exceeding 50% of total revenue, the ministry said.

They include the Korea Customs Information Service, Gadeokdo New Airport Construction Corporation, Child Support Enforcement Agency, National Incheon Maritime Museum, Korea Sports & Leisure, Korea Statistics Promotion Agency, Spatial Information Industry Promotion Agency, Korea Water Technology Certification Agency, National Agricultural Museum, Central Social Service Agency and the National Disaster Relief Association.

The ministry said designation of the Financial Supervisory Service was deferred to prioritize substantive operational reforms over formal classification. Officials cited concerns that adding public institution oversight could overlap with existing supervisory structures and undermine the watchdog’s autonomy and expertise.

As conditions for reconsideration, the government ordered the Financial Supervisory Service to strengthen democratic oversight by its supervising ministry, including mandatory consultation on personnel and organizational changes, expanded management disclosure through ALIO, and full implementation of the Financial Consumer Protection Improvement Roadmap announced last year.

The Public Institution Management Committee plans to review progress on those measures and reassess the watchdog’s designation status in 2027.

Koo said that while public institution designation could enhance transparency and public accountability, it could also create inefficiencies if layered on top of the existing supervision system.

“There is concern that overlapping management structures could weaken autonomy and professional expertise,” Koo said.

Separately, the ministry said it will disclose, for the first time since enactment of the Public Institutions Act in 2007, a list of entities that met designation criteria but were not classified as public institutions, along with the reasons.

The committee also approved changes to designation categories for the Korea Broadcasting Advertising Corporation and the Korea Legal Protection and Welfare Foundation.

Koo said the expanded disclosures are intended to make public institution management more transparent and easier for citizens to understand, while strengthening trust in the public sector.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260129010013790

Jan. 29 (Asia Today) — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday that Washington does not recognize any trade agreement with South Korea unless it is ratified by the South Korean National Assembly, reaffirming that higher tariffs would remain in place until legislative approval is secured.

In an interview with CNBC, Bessent said the absence of parliamentary ratification meant no valid agreement existed between the two countries.

“Because the South Korean National Assembly has not passed the trade agreement, there is no trade agreement with South Korea until they approve it,” Bessent said, repeatedly emphasizing the need for lawmakers to ratify the deal.

Asked whether South Korea would face 25% tariffs until ratification, Bessent replied, “I think that helps move the situation forward,” a comment widely interpreted as signaling tariff pressure aimed at accelerating legislative action.

His remarks clarified the backdrop to Donald Trump’s announcement Sunday that the United States planned to raise reciprocal tariffs on South Korean exports, including automobiles, timber and pharmaceuticals, from 15% to 25%.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the South Korean legislature had failed to enact what he described as a “historic trade agreement.” No executive order or formal notice has yet been issued to implement the tariff increase.

Trump later suggested negotiations could still resolve the issue, saying Monday that Washington would “work with South Korea to find a solution.”

Pressure from the Trump administration has extended beyond tariffs. The Wall Street Journal reported that Washington has raised concerns over South Korea’s regulatory treatment of U.S. technology companies. According to the report, J.D. Vance told South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok during a White House meeting last week that the administration wanted meaningful de-escalation in how U.S. tech firms are regulated.

South Korea has fully mobilized its trade channels to assess Washington’s intentions. Trade Minister Kim Jeong-kwan is scheduled to travel to Washington later Tuesday after completing meetings in Canada, where he is expected to meet U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Trade Negotiations Commissioner Yeo Han-koo also plans consultations with the U.S. trade representative.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260129010013312

Kim Keon Hee’s husband, Yoon Suk Yeol, is potentially facing the death penalty over his role in declaring martial law in 2024 while president.

A South Korean court has sentenced former First Lady Kim Keon Hee to one year and eight months in prison after finding her guilty of accepting bribes from the Unification Church, according to South Korea’s official Yonhap news agency.

The Seoul Central District Court on Wednesday cleared Kim, the wife of disgraced ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol, of additional charges of stock price manipulation and violating the political funds act.

Kim was accused of receiving bribes and lavish gifts from businesses and politicians, as well as the Unification Church, totalling at least $200,000.

The prosecution team had also indicted Unification Church leader Han Hak-ja, now on ‌trial, after the religious group was suspected of giving Kim valuables, including two Chanel handbags and a diamond necklace, as part ‌of its efforts to win influence with the president’s wife.

Prosecutors in December said Kim had “stood above the law” and colluded with the religious sect to undermine “the constitutionally mandated separation of religion and state”.

Prosecutor Min Joong-ki also said South Korea’s institutions were “severely undermined by abuses of power” committed by Kim.

The former first lady had denied all the charges, claiming the allegations against her were “deeply unjust” in her final testimony last month.

But she has also apologised for “causing trouble despite being a person of no importance”.

“When I consider my role and the responsibilities entrusted to me, it seems clear that I have made many mistakes,” she said in December.

Kim’s husband, the country’s former President Yoon, was ousted from office last year and has been sentenced to five years in prison for actions related to his short and disastrous declaration of martial law in December 2024.

Yoon could still be facing the death penalty in a separate case.

In 2023, hidden camera footage appeared to show Kim accepting a $2,200 luxury handbag in what was later dubbed the “Dior bag scandal”, further dragging down then-President Yoon’s already dismal approval ratings.

The scandal contributed to a stinging defeat for Yoon’s party in general elections in April 2024, as it failed to win back a parliamentary majority.

Yoon vetoed three opposition-backed bills to investigate allegations against Kim, including the Dior bag case, with the last veto in November 2024.

A week later, he declared martial law.

Kim’s sentencing comes days after former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was sentenced to 23 years in prison – eight years longer than prosecutors demanded – for aiding and abetting Yoon’s suspension of civilian rule.

Demanding the release of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores, South Africa’s largest trade union marched to the US consulate in Johannesburg on Saturday, January 24.

“In defending Venezuela, we defend the sovereignty of all nations,” concluded the memorandum read aloud outside the consulate by Irvin Jim, general secretary of the over 460,000 members-strong National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA).

“It is Venezuela today … It will be South Africa tomorrow,” Jim warned in his address to the demonstration. US President Donald Trump, who has bombed parts of Nigeria after concocting a false story about a “Christian Genocide” in the country, has also been spinning tales about a “White Genocide” underway in South Africa.

“This is not a joke,” NUMSA warned in a statement. “Donald Trump can easily use the lie of a White genocide in South Africa to invade South Africa, capture South Africa’s president and transport him to a jail in the US, and declare that he is now in charge of our country and all its natural wealth, whilst controlling all trade and natural wealth … After the US criminal military invasion of Venezuela, it is foolish to ignore” this threat to South Africa.

“There is a madman in the White House”

“There is a madman in the White House. There is a fascist in the White House,” NUMSA’s president, Andrew Chirwa, said in his opening address to the demonstration. “Today, it is Venezuela that was attacked by this international criminal. Tomorrow it is” Cuba, Iran, Nigeria,  South Africa. “All over the world this man” is baying “for blood.”

In parallel, the Trump administration is also attempting to strangle South Africa’s economy, threatening to exclude it from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which provides tariff-free access to the US market, on which the country’s automotive sector is heavily dependent.

“Our members and workers across various sectors are losing jobs” because “he has imposed 30% tariffs against South Africa,” Jim added in his speech.

Stressing the need for “an anti-imperialist front to mobilize the workers” across party and union affiliations, Jim said that NUMSA “will soon be convening a political colloquium”, inviting all progressive political parties. “It is about time to unite the working class … behind a  revolutionary agenda,” as South Africa faces increasing US aggression.  

South Africa punished for taking the genocidal state of Israel to the ICJ

South Africa, the union maintains, “is being punished by Trump for taking the genocidal state of Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).” Reaffirming that “this was the correct position … in defense of the people of Palestine,” NUMSA called on the South African government not to cave in to the pressure by Leo Brent Bozell III, Trump’s new ambassador to South Africa.

At his Senate confirmation hearing, he had stated that if appointed, “I would press South Africa to end proceedings against Israel,” and the ICJ itself to stop what he deemed a “lawfare” against Israel.

“If he continues to insult our national sovereignty … by demanding that South Africa must withdraw its case in the ICJ against Israel,” NUMSA insists, “the South African government must act swiftly, and ensure that he packs his bags and leaves the country.”

The South African government must also “continue to demand the release of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and Comrade Cilia Flores in all international forums,” added the memorandum, which was also copied to the Minister of International Relations.

Demanding that the football governing body “cancel all World Cup matches in the US this year,” a copy of the memorandum was also sent to the FIFA President.

It further called on the African Union (AU) and the BRICS to urgently convene and formulate a coordinated and collective response to the US imperialist aggression.

“No country is safe from America’s greedy appetite”

Recalling the European leaders defending unipolarity under the cover of “rules-based order” at last year’s G20 summit in South Africa, the US had boycotted Alex Mashilo, spokesperson of the South African Communist Party (SACP) said in his address to the protest: “Little did they know that just after a few weeks, that unipolar power will turn against them and demand Greenland.”

Under “the mad Trump administration”, NUMSA emphasized in its statement, “no country is safe from America’s greedy appetite”.

​The US has now even “become extremely dangerous to itself” and “its citizens”, with Trump “brutalizing the American people daily” using “his personal ‘Gestapo’ police commonly known as ICE.”  ​

Expressing “solidarity with American citizens who are being brutalized by ICE,” NUMSA insisted, “This is a moment when all people of the world, including well-meaning US citizens and all South Africans, must unite” against imperialism.

Source: People’s Dispatch

How good is senior Nathan Castrejon scoring goals for South East’s soccer team?

Coach Felipe Bernal said, “His strength and speed gets him through like Mbappe of Real Madrid. That’s the way I see him at this level.”

Castrejon, 5 feet 10, 160 pounds, entered this week with 38 of South East’s 90 goals. South East has its best chance to win a City Section title since it won in a big upset in 2022. This season would be no upset, since the Jaquars are 16-1-3.

Bernal has so many players with the first name of Nathan that he has to call them by their last name. Besides Castrejon, there’s Nathan Medina, who has eight goals, and Nathan Vargas, a backup goalie who has filled in well while the starter was sick.

“We’re a complete team this year,” Bernal said.

One of the most interesting players is 5-4 David Velasco. “The kid gets the job done,” Bernal said. “He’s amazing.”

Velasco has 11 assists.

South East is 6-0-1 in the competitive Eastern League that includes longtime power Bell.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

SEOUL, Jan. 27 (UPI) — South Korea will dispatch a delegation of senior trade and industry officials to Washington after U.S. President Donald Trump announced a sharp increase in tariffs on Korean goods, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources said Tuesday.

Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan will travel to the United States to meet their counterparts for talks on the tariff hike, the ministry said in a press release.

The decision was made at an emergency interagency meeting chaired by presidential chief of staff for policy Kim Yong-beom, convened hours after Trump’s surprise announcement on social media.

Trump said he was raising his so-called “reciprocal” tariffs on South Korea from 15% to 25%, accusing Seoul’s National Assembly of failing to act quickly enough to implement a bilateral trade deal finalized late last year.

“South Korea’s Legislature is not living up to its Deal with the United States,” Trump wrote earlier Tuesday on his Truth Social platform.

He said the higher tariffs would apply to automobiles, lumber, pharmaceuticals and other goods covered by the agreement.

The legislation to implement the deal was submitted to the National Assembly by the ruling Democratic Party in November but has yet to be passed.

Kim, who is currently in Canada, will travel to Washington as soon as his schedule allows to meet with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, according to the ministry. Yeo will depart from Seoul to hold talks with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

Trump and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung finalized trade negotiations on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Gyeongju on Oct. 29.

The two sides released a fact sheet in November detailing the terms of the deal, under which Trump’s tariffs on South Korean goods, including automobiles, would be reduced from 25% to 15%.

In exchange for the lower tariffs, South Korea pledged to invest $350 billion in the United States, including $150 billion in the U.S. shipbuilding sector and $200 billion for strategic industries under a memorandum of understanding to be signed by the two governments.

The fact sheet also formalized Washington’s approval of Seoul’s long-sought plan to build nuclear-powered submarines, a capability South Korean officials have framed as part of broader industrial and security cooperation with the United States.

The tariff move comes amid a dispute involving a South Korean regulatory probe into Coupang, a U.S.-listed e-commerce company, following a large-scale data breach.

On Friday, South Korean Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said he addressed the matter directly in talks with U.S. Vice President JD Vance, stressing that American firms had not been unfairly targeted.

“I made it clear that there has been no discriminatory treatment against U.S. companies,” Kim told Korean correspondents in Washington, D.C.

Following Tuesday’s emergency meeting, South Korea’s presidential office said it would react “calmly” to the announced tariff increase.

“Since the tariff increase will only take effect after administrative procedures such as publication in the Federal Register, the Korean government plans to calmly respond while conveying its commitment to implementing the tariff agreement to the U.S. side,” presidential spokeswoman Kang Yu-jung said in a written briefing.

South Korean stocks initially fell on the tariff news, with the benchmark KOSPI dropping by 0.84% in the first 15 minutes of trading before reversing early losses to gain 2.73% and close at an all-time high of 5,084.85.

US President Donald Trump has announced he is raising tariffs on South Korean imports to 25% after accusing Seoul of “not living up” to a trade deal reached last year.

In a post on social media, Trump said he would increase levies on South Korea from 15% across a range of products including automobiles, lumber, pharmaceuticals and “all other Reciprocal TARIFFS”.

Trump said South Korean lawmakers have been slow to approve the deal while “we have acted swiftly to reduce our TARIFFS in line with the Transaction agreed to”.

South Korea says it had not been given official notice of the decision to raise tariffs on some of its goods, and wanted urgent talks with Washington over the issue.

It added that South Korea’s Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, who is currently in Canada, will visit Washington as soon as possible to meet US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

South Korea’s benchmark Kospi stock index fell on Tuesday morning but was trading about 1.8% higher later in the day as shares in major exporters recovered.

Seoul and Washington reached a deal last October, which included a pledge from South Korea to invest $350bn (£256bn) in the US, some of which would go to shipbuilding.

The following month, the two countries agreed that the US would reduce tariffs on some products once South Korea started the process to approve the deal.

The agreement was submitted to South Korea’s National Assembly on 26 November and is currently being reviewed. It is likely to be passed in February, according to local media.

Tariffs are paid by companies who import products. In this case, US firms will pay a 25% tax on goods they buy from South Korea.

Trump has frequently used tariffs as leverage to enact foreign policy during his second term in the White House.

On Saturday, he threatened Canada with a 100% tariff if it struck a trade deal with China.

On Monday, Chinese officials said its “strategic partnership” agreement with Canada is not meant to undercut other countries.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said his country was not pursuing a free trade deal with China and has “never” considered it.

He added that Canadian officials have made their position clear to their American counterparts.

Before that, Trump said he would impose import taxes on eight countries – including the UK – who opposed US plans to seize Greenland, an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark which is a member of Nato.

He later backed down from the tariff threat over Greenland citing progress towards a “future deal” over the island, but the episode strained US relations with Denmark and other Nato allies.