Seoul: South Korea's acting President Choi Sang-mok announced that the country will seek discussions with the United States regarding President Donald Trump's imposition of a 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports. Choi emphasized the need to support local companies affected by these tariffs and highlighted plans to monitor the actions of other nations facing similar trade challenges, such as Japan and the European Union.

According to Anadolu Agency, South Korea's steel exports make up approximately 11% of the United States' steel imports. The newly announced tariffs by President Trump are set to take effect on March 12. In response, Choi stated, "We will continue to support civilian-level contact with the US, in addition to diplomatic and security lines of communication, and expand contact points with the new US administration."

The Trade, Industry and Energy Ministry in South Korea convened an emergency meeting to address the new tariffs. The ministry assured that it is "closely communicating with local businesses and industry leaders to devise ways to minimize" the impact of the tariffs.

In a related development, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese mentioned that President Trump had "agreed" to consider exempting Australia from the steel and aluminum tariffs.