The United States imposed a 15% duty on Korean imports, impacting Seoul’s forecasted growth; Seoul agreed to invest in US projects and purchase $100 billion worth of American energy products to soften the blow. South Korea struggles to fulfill the energy pledge due to operational constraints and contractual obligations with Middle Eastern suppliers. Refiners in South Korea face challenges in shifting to US crude due to refinery configurations and petrochemical industry oversupply. South Korea finds itself torn between increasing US purchases and maintaining its energy system’s operational logic, highlighting the complexities of global trade and refining economics.

Read more at Yahoo Finance: Why South Korea’s Pledge to Buy More US Oil May Be Mission Impossible