▲ Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks during a press meeting at the South Korean Embassy in Washington on Feb. 5, 2026. (Yonhap)

FM-US visit

FM Cho says S. Korea is not deliberately delaying legislative process for trade deal

By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Feb. 5 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said Thursday he told U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio that South Korea is not deliberately delaying a legislative process needed to implement its investment pledge under a bilateral trade deal.

Cho made the remarks during a press meeting, pointing out that Rubio noted an unfavorable atmosphere in the United States regarding a lack of progress in the implementation of Seoul's commitments under the trade deal, as he met the secretary on the eve of a U.S-hosted ministerial meeting on critical minerals in Washington.

The talks between Cho and Rubio came after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened last week to raise "reciprocal" tariffs and auto, lumber and pharmaceutical duties on South Korea to 25 percent from 15 percent, citing a delay in the parliamentary process to pass a special investment bill facilitating the implementation of the trade deal.

"Secretary Rubio said he would frankly share that while the relationship between South Korea and the U.S. is not in a bad situation, the internal climate in the U.S. is not good regarding (South Korea's) implementation of trade-related commitments," Cho said.

Rubio also called for closer communication between the two countries' diplomatic authorities to ensure that the negative sentiment about the delay in the trade agreement enforcement would not spread across the overall bilateral relationship, according to the minister.

Cho said he reaffirmed Seoul's "firm" commitment to implementing the deal, stressing that the argument that the passage of the bill was deliberately slowed is by no means true.

Under the trade deal, South Korea has committed to investing US$350 billion in U.S. industries, among other pledges, in return for the U.S. lowering reciprocal tariffs on the Asian country to 15 percent from 25 percent.

The deal and other security agreements were delineated in a joint fact sheet that the two governments released in November.

During the talks with Rubio, Cho made clear that the issue on the trade front should not impede cooperation on security and other fronts, he said.

"I asked Rubio to encourage relevant U.S. government agencies to ensure that there will be sufficient consultations on three key bilateral agreements on civil nuclear energy, nuclear-powered submarines and shipbuilding," the minister said.

The joint fact sheet includes the U.S.' approval for South Korea to build nuclear-powered attack submarines and its support for Seoul's push to secure civil uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing rights.

Cho said that during his visit to Washington, he reaffirmed that both Seoul and Washington shared the same commitment to faithfully implement what he called the hard-won trade deal.

On Wednesday, Cho also met U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the margins of the ministerial meeting on critical minerals supply chains.

The minister noted that Greer stressed the importance of South Korea making progress in delivering on its commitments to making strategic investments in the U.S. as well as addressing non-tariff barriers.

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