U.S. Signals Targeted Tariffs on Semiconductors
“I think what you’re going to see is targeted, thoughtful tariff policy that basically says if you build here, you don’t pay, but if you don’t build here, expect to pay to enter the greatest market in the world.”U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Sept. 2 (local time) that the Trump admin
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick announced on September 2 that the Trump administration is implementing a "targeted tariff" policy for semiconductors. This approach would provide tariff relief to companies investing in U.S. production, while imposing tariffs on those manufacturing outside the country and importing into the U.S. Lutnick explicitly targeted Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, urging them to build production facilities in the United States.
The U.S. government is also considering expanding the tariffs to cover finished products like laptops, gaming consoles, and data center servers. South Korean semiconductor companies have already made significant investments in the U.S., but it remains uncertain whether these investments will meet Washington's demands. While the U.S. is employing market access and tariffs as leverage, Japan is focusing on providing strong policy support to attract production facilities.
South Korean companies now must carefully consider their options, weighing existing U.S. investments against the potential benefits of relocating to third countries like Japan.
Written by urgent.news from BusinessKorea's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
