South Korea's trade negotiator to visit Washington to push for tariff rollback

According to the media, South Korea’s Minister of Industry, Ahn Duk-geun, will visit the country. This will be his third visit since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump. The South Korean official will be joined by the country’s Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok to hold meetings with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.

"The consultation is taking place at the suggestion of the US, and we are currently coordinating details of the schedule and agenda," stated the South Korean Ministry of Industry.

In addition, South Korean officials are preparing for Trump's possible involvement in the talks, as the US president unexpectedly appeared during the visit of a Japanese delegation a few days ago.

Bloomberg reports that the South Korean government is considering several proposals to present to the Trump administration in an effort to reduce the country’s trade surplus with the US. Among the topics that may be discussed at the negotiating table are cooperation in shipbuilding, an Alaska pipeline project, and sharing defense costs.

Bloomberg notes that South Korea received a 25% tariff from the US, which was temporarily reduced by 10% for 90 days. Additionally, the country is facing a 25% tariff on imports of cars, steel, and aluminum.

As a result, South Korea is aiming to be one of the first countries to persuade the Trump administration to ease or eliminate tariffs on its exports.

Last week, White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett stated that the number of countries that have reached out to the US for tariff negotiations has increased to 130.