Trump tariff 'bomb' rattles South Korea's chip and auto sectors

Business leaders call on Seoul to shield industries from mounting U.S. trade pressure

20250310 Hyundai 2024 New York International Auto Show

A man wipes a Hyundai Tucson vehicle at the 2024 New York International Auto Show. © AP

KIM JAEWON

SEOUL -- South Korean industry is reeling from U.S. President Donald Trump's threat of heavy tariffs on automobiles and his pledge to scrap billions of dollars in subsidies for chipmakers investing in America

At a forum in Seoul last week, a semiconductor association executive said "it does not make sense" that Trump vowed to toss out the CHIPS Act as Samsung Electronics signed a deal with the previous administration of Joe Biden for a $4.75 billion subsidy for an over $37 billion investment in its Texas semiconductor manufacturing facilities.

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