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(ATTN: ADDS more info in last 6 paras, photos)By Kim Na-young

SEJONG, Feb. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's envisioned passage of a special bill to support the country's massive investment pledge to the United States is expected to prevent U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threat from being realized, the industry minister said Monday, vowing continued efforts to fend off Washington's trade pressure.

"I think the top priority now is swiftly advancing the special U.S. investment bill through the parliament because that is what Trump thinks is the most important," Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said in a press briefing held about a week after he visited Washington for tariff consultations.

"Since the U.S. cited the delay in the legislation of the special bill as its reason for raising tariffs, we believe the bill's passage will likely lead to the suspension of plans to raise tariffs (on Korea)," he added, highlighting that the government's goal is to keep tariffs on Korean products at the current 15 percent level to safeguard national interests.

Kim's trip to Washington came shortly after Trump made an announcement in his social media post that he will raise "reciprocal" tariffs and auto tariffs on Korea back to 25 percent, citing a delay in the legislative process to implement the trade deal finalized between the two countries in October.

Kim has said he met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and other officials, and resolved "unnecessary misunderstandings" between the two countries.

South Korea's Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan (C) speaks to the press at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, west of Seoul, in this Jan. 31, 2026, file photo. (Yonhap)

Kim said Washington seems to have thought Seoul would have produced a tangible outcome on investment plans in the U.S. around December, as the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding for the tariff deal in November, but was frustrated over the legislative delay of the special investment bill.

Washington also seems to have compared Korea's case with that of Japan, which has been moving faster than Korea in selecting investment projects in the U.S., as the country does not need to legislate a bill like Korea, he noted.

"I think we have successfully conveyed our efforts to uphold the trade deal to the U.S.," said Kim, explaining there has been no further action taken by the U.S. since Trump's surprise announcement and that Lutnick "positively" assessed Korea's plan to legislate the U.S. investment bill within the next month.

The National Assembly established a special committee to handle the legislation of the bill earlier in the day.

This image, captured from U.S. President Donald Trump's Truth Social account, shows his announcement on a decision to increase reciprocal tariffs and auto duties on South Korea. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

The minister said Korea and the U.S. have also been discussing potential projects to be carried out under the bilateral trade deal, without elaborating on the details of the projects.

Seoul has pledged to invest a combined US$350 billion in the U.S., comprising $200 billion for investment in strategic industries and $150 billion for shipbuilding cooperation.

Media reports have suggested Korea's first investment project will likely be related to energy, though the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources has declined to comment.

Regarding non-tariff issues, including tensions over Korea's ongoing investigation into a massive data leak incident of Coupang Inc., a U.S.-listed e-commerce firm, Kim said the issue is not "directly" related to Washington's tariff hike threat but that the matter is being brought up in discussions on broader trade issues between the two countries.

In recent months, U.S. lawmakers and investors have accused Seoul of conducting "discriminatory" actions against Coupang, raising concerns the issue may affect Seoul's tariff talks with Washington.

"We told the U.S. to imagine how it would respond if an American company was found to have possibly leaked personal information of 80 percent of the adult population in the U.S. overseas," Kim said.

"I think the U.S. understands to some extent why the Korean government is taking this approach," he added, noting the U.S. tends to have a much stricter response to such issues.

Coupang's interim CEO Harold Rogers arrives at the Seoul metropolitan investigative headquarters in Mapo on Feb. 6, 2026, appearing for questioning over the company's massive data breach. (Yonhap)

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