Both times Donald Trump assumed office as the president of the United States, he could not immediately work with his counterpart in South Korea. In 2017, Park Geun-hye, the first conservative president who was removed from office, was in the midst of the impeachment process when Trump took the presidency. In an eerie case of deja vu, the same was true when Trump took the oath a second time, only this time the conservative president undergoing an impeachment trial at the Constitutional Court was Yoon Suk-yeol. In April, Yoon officially became the second president to be removed from office in South Korea’s history due to his illegitimate declaration of martial law.
With Yoon’s government scrapped, South Korea could not effectively respond when Trump launched a massive tariff war against countries around the world, including U.S. allies.
Against this backdrop, South Korea’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who is now the acting president of the country, had a 28-minute call with Trump on April 8 – the first contact between Trump 2.0 and a South Korean leader. In the call, Han showed his willingness not to “fight back” against U.S. tariffs. However, within South Korea there is mounting criticism toward Han’s U.S. diplomacy, due to his current role and capacity.
Han is not an elected official; he was appointed to the prime minister post by Yoon. South Korea will hold a snap presidential election on June 3. Whoever wins the election will assume office immediately – meaning it is the new president, not Han, who will deal with Trump’s tariff war.
In an effort to cut the U.S. trade deficit, Trump announced on April 2 that he will impose “reciprocal tariffs” against countries that have supposedly undermined the U.S. for decades and have stolen the country’s wealth. Among the slate of reciprocal tariffs imposed on more than 60 countries (including China and Japan), South Korea was hit with a 25 percent rate. However, a week later Trump announced a pause on all the reciprocal tariffs (except for those on China) for 90 days, but maintained 10 percent “universal” tariffs on all U.S. imports.
South Korea has a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States, meaning it does not charge a substantial levy on U.S. products. Even so, the country’s trade surplus with the U.S. reached a record $55 billion last year.
In an interview with the Financial Times published on April 20, Han said he will not fight back against U.S. tariffs. In doing so, he effectively laid down some of Seoul’s bargaining chips in the negotiations with Washington. Instead, Han expressed appreciation for the support South Korea received from the United States in the wake of the 1950-53 Korean War, noting that the U.S. helped South Korea become a wealthy country in the past decades.
The opposition has criticized Han for overstepping his authority. Kim Hyun-chong, the former trade minister who is now a special adviser on foreign affairs and national security for the Democratic Party, demanded that Han not rush to seal a deal and instead let the next administration handle it.
Critics say that Han should focus on managing the elections and maintaining the status quo – the crucial task for an acting president who will leave office soon. However, his interview with the Financial Times only snowballed concerns over Han’s authority to negotiate with the Trump administration. Han has limited the next president’s options by saying that he will not fight back against U.S. tariffs.
But perhaps the more worrisome part is Han’s political ambitions.
Upon his interview with the Financial Times, Han would not rule out the possibility of running for the June 3 presidential election. Asked whether he would run, Han said he had not yet made a decision and replied “no comment” to a reporter pushing him on whether he was considering a bid. This has fueled the anger among the public as the primary task for the acting president is managing the snap presidential election as a “referee,” meaning Han should have clearly drawn a line between him and the election. But he rather chose to hold open the possibility of joining the race himself. In that light, his moves to negotiate with Trump can be seen as efforts to achieve political outcomes before running for the election.
The primary elections of the ruling People Power Party kicked off last week. Han missed the window for registering as a PPP candidate, but it is possible that Han could register to run for the presidential race as an independent, with the goal of becoming the unified conservative candidate. According to polls, Han is among the top presidential candidates who is supported by the conservatives. This idea has been floated by the conservative side, and some of the PPP’s preliminary presidential candidates have welcomed the notion of a unity bid.
The South Korean ministers of finance and trade are heading to Washington to meet their counterparts this week. Although it is the administration’s responsibility to tackle the significant issues such as the tariff war launched by the U.S., the current unelected ministers should coordinate Seoul’s approach on the issue with the elected lawmakers in the National Assembly – especially those in the main opposition Democratic Party, considering the high chance of that former DP leader Lee Jae-myung will become the next president of South Korea. If so, it will be Lee’s decision, not Han’s, how to negotiate with Trump.
If Han is considering running in the presidential election, he should immediately resign and pull out of the tariff negotiations with the Trump administration. Unelected Cabinet members whose government has officially been impeached should not rush to sign a deal with the United States but should use their resources fully in activating the communication channels in Washington. This would help the next administration work with the second Trump administration smoothly as the 90-day pause on the reciprocal tariffs draws to a close.