▲ Prime Minister Kim MIn-seok holds a press conference at his official residence in Seoul on Feb. 2, 2026. (Yonhap)

PM-press conference

PM says S. Korea, U.S. making progress on tariff issue

By Lee Haye-ah

SEOUL, Feb. 2 (Yonhap) -- Prime Minister Kim Min-seok said Monday that South Korea and the United States are making progress on tariff-related issues, thanks in part to the direct phone line he established with U.S. Vice President JD Vance last month.

Kim made the remark during a press conference amid controversy over the government's lack of preparedness for U.S. President Donald Trump's recent threat to raise tariffs back on South Korea from 15 percent to 25 percent.

The prime minister, in particular, has been criticized by some as Trump's surprise announcement came last week, a day after Kim returned from Washington after meeting and establishing a direct "hotline" with Vance.

"I assess that we did well to open the hotline immediately before that situation arose," the prime minister told reporters at his official residence.

"It's not just the hotline that's in operation, but various existing channels of contact, including the hotline with Vice President Vance, were all put into operation, and through a process of learning each other's true intentions, it is progressing into what we see now."

Since Trump's announcement, top South Korean trade officials have been rushed to Washington to meet with their counterparts and resolve uncertainties surrounding the tariff issue.

Trump has also said the U.S. "will work something out with South Korea."

The prime minister refused to accept criticism that the episode was a case of the government's diplomatic failure, saying that officials here believe "most people" within the U.S. government, with the exception of a few people, such as U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, were also unaware of Trump's announcement in advance.

"This issue was about President Trump's unique messaging method," he said.

(END)

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]