Trump Threatens Tariffs of Up to 300% as Korea Faces New Investment Pressure

US President Donald Trump has threatened tariffs of up to 300% on foreign companies that do not build factories in the United States, sharpening the investment pressure facing major US trading partners, including South Korea.

Speaking at a campaign event at a high school in Ohio on Saturday, Trump said overseas businesses were being given about a year and a half to establish US production. Companies that did not comply could be subjected to tariffs of 150%, 200%, 250% or 300%, he said. Trump claimed the policy had already pushed companies to build in the United States and generated trillions of dollars for the country.

The remarks came a day after Trump specifically raised the prospect of charging South Korea more if Seoul does not invest in the Alaska liquefied natural gas project. That earlier statement placed Korea directly within a broader US strategy of using tariff threats to secure foreign investment in domestic manufacturing and energy infrastructure.

For South Korea, the latest comments add uncertainty around the cost and conditions of economic cooperation with Washington. Korean companies have made large US investments in sectors including semiconductors, batteries, automobiles and clean energy. A tariff policy tied to the location of production could place additional pressure on companies to expand their US facilities, even as they weigh construction costs, demand forecasts and the commercial viability of individual projects.

The Alaska LNG project is particularly sensitive because Seoul has stressed that participation must be assessed through negotiations and reviews of its commercial feasibility and legal requirements. Trump’s comments suggest that such business calculations could become increasingly entangled with US trade policy.

Trump delivered the warning while campaigning in Ohio ahead of the November midterm elections. The state is considered a key battleground in the contest for control of the US Senate, with Republican incumbent Jon Husted and Democratic challenger Sherrod Brown polling closely. It was Trump’s first visit to a major battleground since beginning a nationwide campaign tour on Thursday.

The tariff pledge was presented as evidence that the administration’s trade approach was attracting investment and strengthening US industry. However, the scale and implementation of any future tariff increases were not detailed in the speech. For Korean policymakers and businesses, the immediate significance lies in the renewed signal that access to the US market may be linked more aggressively to commitments to build and invest inside the United States.