The acting president of South Korea, Han Duk-soo, had a conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump lasting 28 minutes on April 8. This was the first significant interaction at the leadership level between the two nations following Trump’s return to the White House and ex-President Yoon Suk-yeol’s declaration of an emergency martial law.
The notification arrived merely a day ahead of when a scheduled 25% U.S. tariff on South Korean products was due to begin, as part of an extensive tariff plan unveiled by Trump on April 2nd.
Trump described the conversation as a “great call” on social media, saying, “We have the confines and probability of a great DEAL for both countries. Their top TEAM is on a plane heading to the U.S., and things are looking good.”
It is thought that the "top team" refers to South Korea’s lead trade negotiator, who traveled to Washington on the same day to start discussions.
According to Han’s office, the acting president told Trump he hoped for a “win-win” and called for continued ministerial-level discussions on economic cooperation, including trade balance issues.
Shortly after the call, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said in an interview that Trump had directed his team to prioritize trade talks with allies such as Japan and South Korea over negotiations with China. “The president will decide when and if to talk with China, but right now, we’ve received the instruction to prioritize our allies,” Hassett said.
On social media, Trump also listed topics discussed during the call, including South Korea’s trade surplus, tariffs, shipbuilding, purchases of U.S. liquefied natural gas, a joint venture in the Alaska Pipeline, and defense cost-sharing.
He restated his stance that South Korea needs to contribute more towards the cost of U.S. military defense. This indicates a potential shift from the Special Measures Agreement negotiated during President Joe Biden's administration in October 2024, where South Korea’s financial obligation was limited to approximately 1.6 trillion won ($1.2 billion) until 2026. Previously, Trump had asserted that Seoul ought to pay $10 billion—an amount over nine times higher than what was settled upon.
Trump also claimed South Korea began paying “billions of dollars” during his first term, but said the “Sleepy Joe Biden” administration “terminated the deal.” However, no such payment increases were finalized during Trump’s previous term, with talks stalling before Biden took office in 2021.
We are simultaneously engaging with numerous other nations, each of which desires to strike a deal with the United States," Trump further stated. "Similar to our approach with South Korea, we are addressing additional topics beyond trade and tariffs, ensuring these too get resolved. THE ONE-STOP SHOPPING experience is both elegant and effective!
Regarding North Korea, Han informed Trump that he wished the allies would show that their resolve for achieving denuclearization surpasses Pyongyang’s desire to keep nuclear arms. The two sides concurred with maintaining tight cooperation on policies concerning North Korea, as stated by Han’s office.
The conversation, started at the United States' request, was originally supposed to be short but extended beyond initial expectations, sources from South Korea revealed. Experts interpreted this timing as an element of Trump's approach aimed at exerting pressure on allies before implementing his worldwide tariff plan.
During an interview with CNN published on the same day, Han stated that South Korea "definitely wants to discuss" tariff issues and highlighted the "extremely robust partnership" shared by both nations. When questioned about the possibility of Seoul collaborating with Tokyo or Beijing to counterbalance the United States, Han responded, "That path will not be taken."
"I don't believe that sort of retaliation will significantly enhance the circumstances," he stated.