Seoul: U.S. President Donald Trump's recent warning of a tariff hike on South Korean goods appears unrelated to what it claims to be a discriminatory probe by Seoul into e-commerce giant Coupang Inc. or other online platform issues, Seoul's top diplomat said Wednesday. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun made the remarks during a parliamentary session, dismissing suspicions that Trump's social media post this week, which signaled raising reciprocal tariffs from 15 percent to 25 percent, was linked to Washington's dissatisfaction with a South Korean investigation into Coupang's data leak.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Cho stated that after communication with the U.S. State Department, there was no direct connection between Trump's tariff warnings and the ongoing issues with Coupang or the proposed online platform bill. The South Korean government is currently advocating for a bill to prevent major platform operators like Naver, Kakao, Google, and Apple from abusing their market dominance through unfair practices or by exerting undue pressure on smaller merchants.

U.S. lawmakers have expressed concerns regarding these regulatory moves against online tech firms and stressed the importance of adhering to a joint summit agreement, which ensures no unnecessary barriers in digital services. Additionally, they have criticized Seoul's handling of the data breach involving Coupang, which affected over 33 million South Korean users, labeling it a discriminatory approach.

Trump's tariff warning, issued on Monday via a Truth Social post, proposed increasing the tariff rate on autos, pharmaceuticals, and other goods to 25 percent from the agreed-upon 15 percent, citing delays in Seoul's legislative procedures for implementing the trade deal. However, he later mentioned on Tuesday that his administration would "work something out" with South Korea.

Cho further commented on the evolving nature of the U.S. administration and emphasized the need for both ruling and opposition parties in South Korea to respond appropriately.