South Korea IEEPA Tariffs: What Importers Need to Know

Overview

South Korea is a top-10 U.S. trading partner, with roughly $170--190 billion in bilateral trade in 2024. The most heavily traded categories include vehicles and auto parts, semiconductors, machinery, petrochemicals, and steel. Because of the volume and variety of goods crossing the Pacific, the IEEPA tariffs affected a broad range of importers.

Starting April 5, 2025, the federal government imposed an additional duty on all South Korea-origin imports under the reciprocal tariff program authorized by the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. South Korea was unique among major trading partners in that it went through four distinct rate regimes during the IEEPA period: a +10% baseline, a single-day spike to +25% on April 9, a re-platformed +15% rate starting August 7, and then a bilateral deal on November 14 that shifted the structure to a Column 1-dependent "top-up to 15%" model. The U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS) interacted with the deal-period logic because KORUS preferential rates could change the underlying Column 1 duty used to calculate the reciprocal surcharge.

Throughout the IEEPA period, CBP also clarified carveouts for in-transit goods, Annex II exclusions, Section 232-covered products, civil aircraft, and certain wood products. The IEEPA tariff ended on February 24, 2026, following the Supreme Court's ruling in Learning Resources v. Trump.

On the same day the IEEPA tariff ended, a new Section 122 surcharge of 10% took effect for most countries, including South Korea. For importers who paid IEEPA duties on non-exempt goods during any of the four rate regimes, the key question now is whether those payments may be recoverable.

Informational only — not legal advice.

What Changed: Rate Timeline

Exceptions and Carveouts

Not every South Korea-origin import was subject to the full IEEPA rate. The following exceptions applied during the IEEPA collection window.

If your goods qualified under one of these exceptions, the IEEPA surcharge either did not apply or applied at a different rate. The KORUS and Annex II pathways were the most common routes to reduced treatment.

What This Means for Your Refund

If you imported non-exempt goods from South Korea between April 5, 2025 and February 24, 2026, you may have paid additional IEEPA duties — 10%, 25% (April 9 only), or 15% (August 7 onward) — on top of your normal tariff rate. Following the Supreme Court's ruling in Learning Resources v. Trump, those duties may be refundable.

The type of filing depends on your entry's liquidation status:

• Unliquidated entries may be corrected through a Post-Summary Correction (PSC)
• Liquidated entries typically require a Form 19 protest, which must be filed within 180 days of liquidation

IEEPA duties are separate from Section 232 duties and Section 301 duties. Those programs are not affected by the Supreme Court ruling.

If you are unsure whether your entries qualify, check the full Chapter 99 line, not just the ordinary HTS. IEEPA-era entries commonly use 9903.01.* and, for many reciprocal programs, 9903.02.*.

Chapter 99 Code Reference

This section is for customs brokers, trade compliance teams, and anyone reviewing entry summaries at the line-item level. Each Chapter 99 code corresponds to a specific IEEPA or Section 122 treatment.