The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington D.C. [EPA=Yonhap News]

Attention is focused on whether a ruling on the legality of the so-called 'reciprocal tariffs' (tariffs by country) imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on countries including South Korea will be made on the 20th (local time), as the U.S. Supreme Court has announced it may issue rulings on cases it has heard on that date.

According to Reuters, the U.S. Supreme Court announced on its website on the 16th (local time) that the 20th has been designated as the next date for releasing rulings on cases it has heard.

The Supreme Court only publicly announces in advance that rulings may be issued on specific dates, without disclosing the specific cases.

While it was speculated that a tariff ruling could be made as the court had previously announced rulings for the 9th and 14th, unrelated rulings were issued instead.

President Trump had invoked the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to declare a state of emergency, arguing that the accumulated U.S. trade deficit was a national emergency and that tariffs should be imposed on trading partners. Based on this, reciprocal tariffs were applied to various countries.

In subsequent lawsuits, lower courts ruled that the use of IEEPA as a basis for imposing reciprocal tariffs was illegal, and the Supreme Court has been reviewing the case following an appeal by the Trump administration.