Seoul plans talks with US over tariffs on memory chips

Anabelle Colaco
20 Jan 2026, 17:24 GMT+10

South Korea is preparing to engage Washington in talks aimed at protecting its semiconductor industry, as new U.S. tariff measures raise questions about future treatment of memory chip imports
A spokesperson for South Korea’s presidential office said on January 18 that Seoul will seek favourable terms on U.S. tariffs affecting memory chips
The spokesperson said South Korea had already laid groundwork for such discussions last year, when it released a joint fact sheet tied to a bilateral trade deal with the United States

SEOUL, South Korea: South Korea is preparing to engage Washington in talks aimed at protecting its semiconductor industry, as new U.S. tariff measures raise questions about future treatment of memory chip imports.

A spokesperson for South Korea's presidential office said on January 18 that Seoul will seek favourable terms on U.S. tariffs affecting memory chips. The comments came after the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump issued a proclamation imposing tariffs on artificial intelligence chips.

The spokesperson said South Korea had already laid groundwork for such discussions last year, when it released a joint fact sheet tied to a bilateral trade deal with the United States. That document included provisions ensuring South Korea would not face less favourable tariff treatment on imported chips than key competitors.

The official was responding to questions about how the latest U.S. tariff measures could affect South Korean chipmakers.

South Korea's trade minister said the impact of U.S. tariffs on some advanced computing chips would be limited for South Korean companies.

South Korea is home to two of the world's largest memory chip producers, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which play a central role in global semiconductor supply chains.