Washington: South Korea and the United States commenced a new series of working-level discussions focusing on U.S. reciprocal tariffs and other economic and trade matters. These discussions, held in Washington, aim to address the impact of recent tariffs introduced by President Donald Trump's administration.
According to Yonhap News Agency, Chang Sung-gil, the director-general for trade policy at South Korea's industry ministry, is leading the delegation for the second round of "technical discussions" with officials from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The discussions, set to conclude on Thursday, will cover six primary areas: balanced trade, non-tariff measures, economic security, digital trade, country of origin issues, and commercial considerations. These topics were agreed upon during a ministerial meeting on South Korea's southern island of Jeju.
South Korea is working to mitigate the effects of the Trump administration's new tariffs, which include a 25 percent "reciprocal" tariff on South Korea and sector-specific tariffs on automobiles, steel, and aluminum. As part of their strategy, Seoul has proposed negotiating a "July package" agreement before July 8, when the 90-day suspension of reciprocal tariffs ends. South Korean officials have indicated that they will approach the trade discussions deliberately, without rushing, especially as the nation prepares for a presidential election on June 3.
The initial round of technical discussions took place in Washington from April 30 to May 1, during which the two sides outlined the general framework for the ongoing talks.