25% tariff on Canada and Mexico

[Anchor]

Now, let's take a look at the economy.

U.S. President Donald Trump has not announced an immediate plan to impose universal tariffs, which many countries have expressed concern about.

However, he has begun preparations for tariff imposition and stated that he is considering tariffs on Canada and Mexico starting next month.

Next, we go to our correspondent Park Il-jung in New York.

[Report]

President Trump signed an executive order to push for the establishment of an agency called the External Revenue Service.

This agency will be responsible for collecting tariffs and other duties.

He also mandated the submission of investigation reports on unfair trade practices and currency manipulation by April 1.

While he is not imposing a 10-20% tariff on all countries immediately, he has initiated the preparatory work for it.

[Donald Trump/President of the United States: "I will impose universal tariffs on anyone doing business in the United States, becuase they are coming in and they're stealing our wealth, they're stealing our jobs, they're stealing our companies."]

He spoke more specifically about Canada, Mexico, and Europe.

He announced that he would impose a 25% tariff on Canada and Mexico starting in February, citing illegal immigration and drug influx as reasons.

Trade agreements with Canada and Mexico will also be reviewed.

However, considering the rising prices in the U.S., there remains a possibility that this could be used as a negotiating tool.

[Guillermo Garcia Sanchez/Professor at Texas A&M University School of Law: "Now, beyond consumers, this is also going to have an impact on jobs. Why? Because close to 14 million jobs are dependent directly on trade between Canada and the United States."]

He demanded that Europe import more U.S. energy to address the trade imbalance.

This means that the U.S. will export more oil and gas that will be produced domestically.

On the other hand, he has scrapped environmental policies related to electric vehicles.

Experts predict that President Trump's tariff imposition will intensify in the second half of this year.

Considering the time lag, it is expected that next year will be more challenging than this year.

This is Park Il-jung reporting for KBS News from New York.