South Korea Aims to Delay US Tariffs in Talks, Cooperate in Mutual Areas 

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who serves concurrently as deputy prime minister for economic affairs, speaks during a meeting of economy-related ministers at the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, 11 April 2025. (EPA/Yonhap) 
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who serves concurrently as deputy prime minister for economic affairs, speaks during a meeting of economy-related ministers at the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, 11 April 2025. (EPA/Yonhap) 
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South Korea Aims to Delay US Tariffs in Talks, Cooperate in Mutual Areas 

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who serves concurrently as deputy prime minister for economic affairs, speaks during a meeting of economy-related ministers at the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, 11 April 2025. (EPA/Yonhap) 
Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok, who serves concurrently as deputy prime minister for economic affairs, speaks during a meeting of economy-related ministers at the government complex in Seoul, South Korea, 11 April 2025. (EPA/Yonhap) 

South Korea will seek to delay the implementation of tariffs as long as possible in negotiations with the United States, its finance minister said on Tuesday, as Seoul targets cooperation in areas of mutual interest such as shipbuilding and energy.

Officials in Seoul have been scrambling to limit the damage to the export-reliant economy from the threat of looming duties.

South Korea is among the countries that US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said Washington would sit down with to discuss the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.

The priority was to delay the tariffs "as much as possible" to help reduce the uncertainty the country's businesses face in the global market, South Korea's Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok told parliament.

"From our national interest perspective, the idea is to negotiate as much as possible and wrap it up under the new government," he said in answer to a lawmaker's question about the direction of Seoul's response.

Trump hit Asia's fourth-largest economy with 25% "reciprocal" tariffs earlier this month as he targeted dozens of countries with import duties as high as 49%. He has since paused their implementation by 90 days but has maintained a 10% blanket tariff on all goods imports and ratcheted up levies on China.

The tariff shock comes as South Korea prepares to pick a new president in a snap election on June 3 after Yoon Suk Yeol was ousted this month over his short-lived martial law declaration.

While the power vacuum has raised questions about the mandate of acting President Han Duck-soo and the direction of its response to Trump's sweeping tariffs, Han's government has engaged with top US administration officials.

Han spoke to Trump last week in a phone call, while South Korea's top trade envoy met US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to discuss lowering tariffs.

Trade and Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun may travel to Washington next week for further talks, media reports said.

Choi said discussions between Trump and Han touched on the spirit of reaching a solution that meets the allies' mutual interests and includes cooperation in the shipbuilding sector and potential involvement in an Alaska gas pipeline project.

Seoul has previously indicated it was open to possible involvement in the gas project and that potential cooperation with Washington in the shipbuilding sector was a "very important card" in negotiations.

Trump's delay to some tariffs means the work of negotiating a trade arrangement to address the US president's claim of unfair trade will fall on a new South Korean president, who will take office immediately after the June 3 vote.

The tariff pause does not apply to the 25% duty that Trump imposed on steel and aluminium as well as vehicles.

South Korea is a leading global exporter of cars and steel to the United States.

Seoul announced on Tuesday an increase in its support package for its key semiconductor industry to 33 trillion won ($23.25 billion), amid growing policy uncertainty over US policies.

Trump said on Sunday he would be announcing the tariff rate on imported semiconductors over the next week, adding that there would be flexibility with some companies in the sector.



Turkish Stocks Jump as PKK Disbandment Adds to Trade Relief

 People walk on a small street leads that to the historical Galata Tower in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 25, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk on a small street leads that to the historical Galata Tower in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 25, 2025. (Reuters)
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Turkish Stocks Jump as PKK Disbandment Adds to Trade Relief

 People walk on a small street leads that to the historical Galata Tower in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 25, 2025. (Reuters)
People walk on a small street leads that to the historical Galata Tower in Istanbul, Türkiye, April 25, 2025. (Reuters)

Turkish stocks jumped on Monday, bonds climbed and the lira rallied against the euro as news the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group was ending its four decade-long insurgency in the country added to US-China trade cheer.

Global share markets were enjoying a strong surge after the US and China agreed to slash tariffs, but Turkish equities outstripped most other bourses as they jumped more than 3%.

A PKK member said it was ceasing all military operations "immediately" following the group's decision to disband, a move that could boost NATO member Türkiye's political and economic stability.

The lira was up 1.3% against the euro and steady against the dollar, while its international market bonds, which have been losing ground for the last six months, were up nearly 0.7 cents.

The PKK decision followed an appeal from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan in February to disband. It is set to have far-reaching political and security consequences for the region, including in neighboring Iraq and also in Syria, where Kurdish forces are allied with US forces.

Omer Celik, spokesperson for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling AK Party, said the PKK's decision to dissolve was "an important step toward a terror-free Türkiye".

There have been intermittent peace efforts over the years, most notably a ceasefire between 2013 and 2015 that ultimately collapsed.

The PKK's move should now give Erdogan the opportunity to boost spending in the mainly Kurdish southeast of Türkiye, where the insurgency has handicapped the regional economy for decades.

Analysts welcomed the PKK move but added a note of caution.

"It can only be good news," said Christopher Granville, managing director of EMEA & Global Political Research at investment advisory firm TS Lombard. "But is it decisive for the difficult Turkish investment case?"

He said the PKK issue was ultimately "secondary" to questions about Türkiye's recent arrest of Erdogan's main political rival, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, and the broader direction of its macroeconomic policy.

Those concerns have weighed on Turkish markets this year.

MSCI's Türkiye equities index is down more than 13% compared to a near 8% rise in its pan-emerging market index., while lira-denominated government bonds have cost investors more than 8% on a total returns basis.

The cost of insuring Ankara's government debt using Credit Default Swaps (CDS) has also shot up, although Monday's rally saw that ease back.

"A continuation of the pullback (in CDS levels) ... may support banking stocks, which have been the negatively differentiated sector in BIST (Turkish stocks index) in the last 2 months," Garanti BBVA Yatirim's Director Ozgur Yurtdasseven said.

Turkish banking stocks were up 3.8% on the day, but remain more than 16% down on the year in lira terms and more than 20% in dollar terms.