President Donald Trump said Wednesday the United States will impose a 15 percent tariff on imports from South Korea, as he touted a “full and complete trade deal” between the two countries.”South Korea will give to the United States $350 Billion Dollars for Investments,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, adding that the country would buy $100 billion in liquefied natural gas or other energy products.The 15 percent rate is below a 25 percent tariff that Trump had threatened earlier, and was equivalent to deals with Japan and the European Union.Trump added that an additional unspecified “large sum of money” will be invested by Seoul.”This sum will be announced within the next two weeks when the President of South Korea, Lee Jae Myung, comes to the White House for a Bilateral Meeting,” Trump said, offering congratulations to his South Korean counterpart for his “electoral success.”South Korea’s Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said Seoul’s commitment to help the United States revive its shipbuilding industry was instrumental in reaching the deal.”I believe MASGA made the greatest contribution to reaching today’s agreement,” Koo said at a news conference in Washington, referring to the “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again” proposal.”Our world-class shipbuilding companies, equipped with the highest level of ship design and construction capabilities, are expected to help revive the US shipbuilding industry,” he said.Shares in South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean, which owns a shipyard in Philadelphia, soared more than 15 percent Thursday. The leaders’ White House meeting will be their first since Lee assumed the presidency in June.In a statement on Facebook, Lee called the deal “the first major trade challenge” since his administration took power, adding: “We have overcome a major hurdle.””Through this deal, the government has eliminated uncertainty surrounding export conditions and ensured that US tariffs on our exports are either lower than or equal to those imposed on our major trade competitors.”- Mixed reaction -Lee was elected in a snap vote last month following the impeachment of predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol over his disastrous martial law declaration in December.The deal marks an early victory for Lee’s tenure as head of the export-reliant economy, Asia’s fourth biggest.”This agreement represents the convergence of US interests in revitalizing its manufacturing sector and our determination to strengthen Korean companies’ competitiveness in the American market,” Lee’s statement continued.But there were mixed reactions in South Korea. Its six major business associations, including the Korea Chamber of Commerce, said in a joint statement: “We view this agreement as a critical milestone that will not only ease trade-related uncertainties but also pave the way for a significant strengthening of economic cooperation between the two countries.”With much of the external uncertainty now resolved, the Korean business community will redouble efforts to boost domestic investment and job creation.”But a handful of civic groups, including farmers and labour organisations, protested at the US Embassy in central Seoul, opposing “Trump’s madman strategy.” Demonstrators held signs reading “No Trump! No King!” and pointed out that there may be additional negotiations when Lee meets Trump.”Trump’s actions amount to excessive interference in our domestic affairs,” said Park Sung-hoon, head of the Korean Apple Growers Association.Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has imposed a sweeping 10 percent tariff on trading partners — with extra rates for dozens of economies set for August 1 — alongside steeper tolls on steel, aluminium and autos.News of the deal with South Korea came as Trump on Wednesday imposed 25 percent tariffs on Indian goods and 50 percent on those from Brazil.

For over a month, Alberto has hardly dared to leave the small room he rents in someone’s backyard for fear of encountering the masked police who have been rounding up immigrants in Los Angeles.”It’s terrible,” sighed the 60-year-old Salvadoran, who does not have a US visa.”It’s a confinement I wouldn’t wish upon anyone.” To survive, Alberto — AFP agreed to use a pseudonym — relies on an organization that delivers food to him twice a week.”It helps me a lot, because if I don’t have this… how will I eat?” said Alberto, who has not been to his job at a car wash for weeks.The sudden intensification of immigration enforcement activity in Los Angeles in early June saw scores of people — mostly Latinos — arrested at car washes, hardware stores, on farms and even in the street.Videos circulating on social media showed masked and heavily armed men pouncing on people who they claimed were hardened criminals.However, critics of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sweeps say those snatched were only trying to earn a meagre wage in jobs that many Americans don’t want to do.The raids — slammed as brutal and seemingly arbitrary — sparked a wave of demonstrations that gripped the city for weeks, including some that spiraled into violence and vandalism.Alberto decided to hole up in his room after one such raid on a car wash in which some of his friends were arrested, and subsequently deported.Despite being pre-diabetic, he is hesitant to attend an upcoming medical appointment. His only breath of fresh air is pacing the private alley in front of his home. “I’m very stressed. I have headaches and body pain because I was used to working,” he said. In 15 years in the United States, Trump’s second term has turned out to be “worse than anything” for him. – ‘Ghost town’ – Trump’s immigration offensive was a major feature of his re-election campaign, even winning the favor of some voters in liberal Los Angeles.But its ferocity, in a place that is home to hundreds of thousands of undocumented workers, has taken the city by surprise.Faced with mounting raids, migrants are limiting their movement as much as possible. In June, the use of the public transportation system — a key network for the city’s poorer residents — dropped by 13.5 percent compared to the previous month. “As you’re driving through certain neighborhoods, it looks like a ghost town sometimes,” said Norma Fajardo, from the CLEAN Carwash Worker Center, a non-profit organization that supports these workers. It has joined forces with other groups to deliver hundreds of bags of food every week to those afraid to step outside.”There is a huge need for this,” said the 37-year-old American.”It’s very saddening and infuriating. Workers should be able to go to work and not fear getting kidnapped.”In June, ICE agents arrested over 2,200 people in the Los Angeles area, according to internal documents analyzed by AFP. About 60 percent of them had no criminal record. Given the colossal resources recently allocated to ICE by Congress — nearly $30 billion to bolster immigration enforcement, including funding to recruit 10,000 additional agents — Fajardo says she is not expecting any let up.- ‘New normal’ – “It seems like this is the new normal,” she sighed.”When we first heard of an ICE raid at a car wash, we were in emergency crisis mode. Now we are just really accepting that we need to plan for the long term.”Food assistance has also become essential for Marisol, a Honduran woman who has been confined to her building for weeks with 12 family members.”We constantly thank God (for the food deliveries) because this has been a huge relief,” says the 62-year-old Catholic, who has not attended Mass in weeks.Marisol — not her real name — has hung up curtains on the windows at her home entrance to block any view from outside.She forbids her grandchildren from opening the door and worries enormously when her daughters venture out to work a few hours to provide for the family’s needs.”Every time they go out, I pray to God that they come back, because you never know what might happen,” she said. Marisol and her family fled a Honduran crime gang 15 years ago because they wanted to forcibly recruit her children.Now, some of them wonder if it’s worth continuing to live in the United States. “My sons have already said to me: ‘Mom, sometimes I would prefer to go to Europe.'”