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46m ago

North Korea Rebukes Lee as Trump Says U.S.–South Korea Tariff Deal Stays Intact

The summit produced high-profile investment commitments as unresolved security and market-access questions now move to working-level negotiations.

President Donald Trump, right, shakes the hand of South Korean President Lee Jae Myung during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung attends an interview at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 25, 2025. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon/ File Photo
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Overview

  • North Korean state media called President Lee a “hypocrite” over denuclearization remarks and reaffirmed it will not give up nuclear arms, while avoiding comment on President Trump’s openness to meet Kim Jong Un this year.
  • Trump said Seoul had sought changes but ultimately honored July’s framework that caps U.S. reciprocal tariffs on Korean goods at 15% in exchange for a $350 billion investment pledge and $100 billion in U.S. energy purchases.
  • Seoul earmarked $150 billion of its pledge for the Make American Shipbuilding Great Again initiative, and Korean conglomerates announced an additional $150 billion in planned U.S. investments in advanced manufacturing sectors.
  • The leaders issued no joint communiqué, leaving alliance modernization, U.S. force posture and defense cost-sharing, and sectoral market-access issues to follow-on negotiations.
  • A RealMeter poll reported 53.1% of South Koreans viewed the summit positively, with many citing shipbuilding cooperation, personal rapport between the leaders, and prospects for renewed North Korea dialogue.