{"id":2209062,"date":"2025-04-09T08:00:29","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T23:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2209062"},"modified":"2025-04-08T23:19:36","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T14:19:36","slug":"han-and-trump-discuss-trade-and-defense-in-first-call-since-trumps-re-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2025\/04\/han-and-trump-discuss-trade-and-defense-in-first-call-since-trumps-re-election\/","title":{"rendered":"Han and Trump discuss trade and defense in first call since Trump\u2019s re-election"},"content":{"rendered":"

Acting President Han Duck-soo spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday in a 28-minute phone call, marking the first direct communication between the two leaders since Trump\u2019s second term began in January. Local media <\/span>reported<\/span><\/a> that the conversation focused on strengthening the U.S.-South Korea alliance, trilateral cooperation with Japan, the North Korean nuclear issue, trade and economic cooperation and joint efforts in shipbuilding.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump <\/span>described<\/span><\/a> the call on his Truth Social account as focused on South Korea\u2019s trade surplus, tariffs, large-scale purchase of U.S. liquefied natural gas, the Alaska pipeline project, and military cost-sharing. Trump claimed that South Korea began making military payments during his first term, a practice he said Biden later terminated. He also mentioned that South Korea\u2019s top trade team, led by <\/span>Trade Negotiation Minister Jeong In-kyo<\/span><\/a>, is en route to the U.S. for further discussions.<\/span><\/p>\n

WHY IT MATTERS<\/b><\/p>\n

Han\u2019s phone call with Trump comes at a critical time for South Korea, as the <\/span>U.S.-China tariff war<\/span><\/a> escalates and pressures South Korean exporters. The call indicates Seoul\u2019s effort to maintain strong bilateral relations with Washington while managing the economic fallout from Trump\u2019s <\/span>tariff policies<\/span><\/a>. However, it remains uncertain whether Seoul\u2019s diplomatic efforts will be sufficient to mitigate Trump\u2019s reciprocal tariffs, given that the 26% tariffs the U.S. imposed on South Korea were based on U.S. trade deficit figures. South Korea\u2019s trade surplus with the U.S. stood at <\/span>$66 billion in 2024<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s comments on military payments and trade imbalances highlight his administration\u2019s ongoing focus on \u201cAmerica First\u201d policies. However, Trump\u2019s claim that South Korea only began paying for U.S. military protection during his first term is factually wrong. South Korea has contributed to joint defense costs for decades, and while Trump <\/span>reportedly demanded<\/span><\/a> that South Korea pay up to $5 billion annually for joint defense costs during his first term, that negotiation remained unresolved when Joe Biden took office. The <\/span>current cost-sharing agreement<\/span><\/a>, negotiated under Biden, spans from 2026 to 2030 and increased South Korea\u2019s contribution by 8.3% to approximately $1.13 billion (1.52 trillion won) for the first year, with subsequent increases tied to the Consumer Price Index, but remains far below Trump\u2019s initial demand.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The phone call also highlights the complexity of U.S.-South Korea relations under Trump\u2019s second term. As key political figures prepare to run for South Korea\u2019s presidency, set to take place on June 3, the next ROK president will need to balance Trump\u2019s economic demands with maintaining strategic alliances and economic stability. While Han\u2019s outreach to Trump sets a precedent for addressing contentious issues head-on, it remains to be seen how much influence this engagement will have on mitigating trade and security risks.<\/span><\/p>\n

Business & Economy<\/span><\/a>Domestic Politics<\/span><\/a>Inter-Korean & Foreign Relations<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Acting President Han Duck-soo spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday in a 28-minute phone call, marking the first direct communication between the two leaders since Trump\u2019s second term began in January. Local media reported that the conversation focused on strengthening the U.S.-South Korea alliance, trilateral cooperation with Japan, the North Korean nuclear issue, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10407,"featured_media":2209065,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[24,27,28],"class_list":["post-2209062","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-briefings","tag-business-economy","tag-domestic-politics","tag-inter-korean-foreign-relations"],"yoast_head":"\nHan and Trump discuss trade and defense in first call since Trump\u2019s re-election - Korea Pro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2025\/04\/han-and-trump-discuss-trade-and-defense-in-first-call-since-trumps-re-election\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Han and Trump discuss trade and defense in first call since Trump\u2019s re-election - Korea Pro\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Acting President Han Duck-soo spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday in a 28-minute phone call, marking the first direct communication between the two leaders since Trump\u2019s second term began in January. 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