Anchor: U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order over the weekend imposing 25 percent tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada, starting Tuesday. With Trump slapping stiff tariffs on his country’s longtime free trade partners, South Korean companies that produce goods in Mexico and Canada are worried about what will happen to their U.S. sales.
Kim Bum-soo has more.

Report: U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday ordered tariffs of 25 percent on Canada and Mexico, as well as ten percent import duties on China.

[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]
“ ... we may have, short term, a little pain. And people understand that. But long term, the United States has been ripped off by virtually every country in the world.”

And on Sunday, Trump said the European Union is “way out of line,” suggesting he may impose stiff tariffs on imports from Europe as well.

[Sound bite: US President Donald Trump]
“ ... so the UK is way out of line, and we’ll see the UK, but the European Union is really way out of line. The UK is out of line, but I think that one can be worked out, but the European Union is an atrocity, what they’ve done.”

The U.S. accounts for 18-point-seven percent of South Korea’s total exports, and automobiles represent nearly 50 percent of all the country’s exports to the U.S.

Many South Korean auto and parts manufacturers have already entered Canada and Mexico to strengthen their supply chains for the U.S. market. 

More than 500 South Korean firms, including Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, Kia and POSCO, have production bases in Mexico.
 
Hyundai Motor Group, which owns Kia Motors, is reportedly seeking markets other than the U.S. for its cars manufactured in Mexico and is said to be considering relocating its production base to the U.S.

In response to the tariff news, acting President Choi Sang-mok has vowed to mobilize all available means to minimize any negative impact on South Korea’s economy. 

He said Seoul will communicate with Washington via various channels to have its position fully reflected while continuing to communicate with the Mexican and Canadian governments, as well as with South Korean companies operating in those countries. 
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.