As the United States announced mutual tariffs, domestic semiconductor stocks fell. While semiconductors were exempt from the mutual tariffs, it is interpreted that IT devices, which include semiconductors, were affected.
As of 10:07 a.m. on the 3rd, Samsung Electronics was trading at 57,400 won, down 2.38% from the previous day, while SK hynix was trading at 192,000 won, down 2.98%.
In the early morning, the U.S. government announced it would impose a 25% mutual tariff on products produced in South Korea and imported into the United States. The target of U.S. President Donald Trump is not just South Korea.
The U.S. decided to impose comprehensive tariffs on all imports, with country-specific tariff rates set at 46% for Vietnam, 36% for Thailand, 34% for China, 32% for Taiwan, 32% for Indonesia, 25% for South Korea, 24% for Japan, 24% for Malaysia, 20% for the European Union (EU), and 10% for the United Kingdom.
Semiconductors are excluded from the tariff imposition, but IT devices are not. As tariffs are imposed on IT products containing semiconductors, the semiconductors inevitably suffer a blow.
Cha Yong-ho, an analyst at LS SECURITIES, noted, "Considering that most assembly is being conducted in countries with low labor costs such as China, India, Vietnam, and Mexico, the impact on demand is inevitably significant."
Concerns about economic recession in various countries surged due to tariff imposition, leading to a sharp decline in major U.S. technology stocks in after-hours trading. Apple fell 7%, while NVIDIA dropped by over 5%.
Park Sang-hyun, an analyst at iM Securities, analyzed that "the announcement of mutual tariffs by the U.S. significantly increases the possibility of a short-term impact on financial markets," adding that "it is considered a variable that could heighten the pressure on the U.S. economy and inflation."