U.S. slaps 50% tariff

[Anchor]

The United States has decided to classify refrigerators and washing machines as steel-related products and impose a 50% tariff on them.

It has also indicated that it may raise tariffs on automobiles further, all of which are items where our companies are performing well in the U.S. market.

This is Kim Kyung-soo reporting from Washington.

[Report]

The U.S., which has been imposing additional tariffs on imported goods that include steel, has added refrigerators and washing machines to the list of affected products.

The tariff on steel products has already been raised to 50% since the beginning of this month.

According to the new measures, Korean-made refrigerators and washing machines exported to the U.S. will incur a 50% tariff starting from June 23, as they contain steel.

The same applies to dryers, dishwashers, freezers, and ovens, which means that if companies are afraid of tariffs, they should invest in the U.S. and build factories there.

President Trump imposed high tariffs on Korean washing machines during his first term and has boasted about LG's construction of a washing machine factory in the U.S. as a significant achievement.

[Donald Trump/President of the United States/Jan. 2025: "They were going to close up their factories because they were -- South Korea was dumping washing machines and other things like that and they were dumping."]

Trump has also stated that he could raise the current 25% tariff on imported cars.

He argued that the more tariffs are imposed, the more likely foreign companies are to build factories in the U.S.

[Donald Trump/President of the United States: "All manufacturing is surging. And I might go up with that tariff in the not too distant future."]

The automobile industry, which is the top export item to the U.S. from Korea, is already affected by the 25% tariff.

If the tariffs double, it could impact not only the automobile industry but the entire Korean economy.

This is Kim Kyung-soo from KBS News in Washington.