According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, last month the White House issued a "Fact Sheet" on reciprocal tariffs, listing Korean seasoned seaweed as a zero-tariff item, whereas the U.S. had previously imposed a 15% reciprocal tariff on it. Consequently, seasoned seaweed becomes the only major Korean export food item to receive tariff exemption from the U.S., while the tariff on Korean dried seaweed remains at the previous 15%. Although the U.S. government imposed reciprocal tariffs on Korea this year, from January to November, Korean exports of seaweed to the U.S. increased by 15.9% year-on-year, amounting to $228 million. In November alone, exports of seaweed to the U.S. increased by 25.2% year-on-year, reaching $24.5 million, with the November export increase exceeding the cumulative increase for the first eleven months of the year. The U.S. market accounts for over 20% of Korean seaweed exports, with seasoned seaweed accounting for over 90% of Korean seaweed exports to the U.S. Officials from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries believe that the tariff exemption for seasoned seaweed is expected to have a positive impact on expanding Korean seaweed exports to the U.S. (Complete)