Author: Don Southerton
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Korea-US Briefing — Friday, June 12, 2026
Korea-US Trade & Investment Intelligence Briefing Friday, June 12, 2026 TOP STORY Hanwha is moving from acquisition to expansion in US shipbuilding. Hanwha Defense USA CEO Michael Coulter confirmed the group is in active talks with the administration on building surface, subsurface, and uncrewed vessels, and is weighing a second US yard alongside its $5B…
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Korea-US Briefing, Thursday, June 11, 2026
Headline: Won slides, even as record chip exports power Korea’s trade Top Story The won weakened, near its softest levels in over a decade, even as semiconductors continue to drive record export performance. June chip exports hit an all-time high of ~$14.97B (up 11.6% YoY), with memory exports topping $10B for the first time as…
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Korea-US Briefing — Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Headline: US reaffirms the 15 percent tariff ceiling for Korea Top Story Following Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo’s meeting with USTR Jamieson Greer in Paris, Washington confirmed no tariffs beyond the levels agreed in last year’s bilateral deal (15 percent, down from 25, in exchange for Korea’s $350 billion investment pledge). Trade & Tariff Effective June…
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Korea-US Trade & Investment Briefing
Tuesday, June 9, 2026 Headline Nvidia’s 260,000-chip Korea supply deal anchors the AI buildout. Top Story Korea’s Industry and Trade Minister Kim Jung-kwan said he received renewed US confirmation that tariffs on Korea will not exceed the agreed 15%, holding an emergency meeting to calm market jitters. The reassurance matters because semiconductors and pharma carry…
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US reaffirms Korea tariff cap stays at 15% as the won slides to a 17-year low
Monday, June 8, 2026 | Bridging Culture Worldwide Headline: US reaffirms Korea tariff cap stays at 15% as the won slides to a 17-year low. Top Story Korea’s Industry and Trade Minister Kim Jung-kwan said Seoul received renewed US confirmation that tariffs on Korean goods will not exceed the 15% agreed last year, after talks…
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Korea-US Week in Review, June 1-5, 2026
Korea spent the week cementing its place at the center of the global AI-hardware stack while locking down the most important number in the trade file: a 15% tariff ceiling. Not to mention, Nvidia's Jensen Huang touring Seoul to court the chaebol on AI chips and data centers. Top Stories 1. Huang's Seoul Tour Puts…
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The Signature Paradox: Why Korean Partners Hesitate, and What Korean Law Actually Says
Bridging Culture Worldwide | Client Advisory Over more than twenty years working with Korean companies, I have repeatedly run into what I call the paradox. Korean partners are enthusiastic about a collaboration, have invested months building the relationship, and clearly see the mutual benefit. Yet when it comes time to sign agreed-upon documents they hesitate,…