▲ South Korea's new Foreign Minister Cho Hyun speaks to reporters ahead of his inauguration at the foreign ministry in Seoul on July 21, 2025. (Yonhap)

FM-inauguration

New FM Cho vows to seek 'win-win' tariff deal with U.S.

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, July 21 (Yonhap) -- Foreign Minister Cho Hyun vowed Monday to work to reach a "win-win" deal in the ongoing tariff negotiations with the United States, as he assumed office less than two weeks before steep U.S. duties are set to take effect.

Speaking to reporters ahead of his inauguration ceremony, Cho emphasized that the negotiations with the U.S. should not be viewed as a "zero-sum" game, but rather approached from a broader perspective to further strengthen the bilateral alliance.

"I think we should work to find a win-win solution ... our ministry should take a more macro-level view in shaping the future of our alliance with the U.S. ... (we) need to thoroughly examine all aspects of comprehensive packages," Cho told reporters upon arriving at the ministry.

"Tariff negotiations, to some extent, are perceived as a zero-sum game, but based on (my) past experience, non-zero-sum outcomes are always possible. I believe our ministry is well-positioned to help achieve such outcomes," he said.

Reciprocal tariffs, including 25 percent duties on South Korea, are slated to go into effect on Aug. 1, unless the two sides reach a deal beforehand.

South Korea is striving to strike a deal with the Donald Trump administration with hopes to secure exemptions or relief from both the reciprocal tariffs and sectoral tariffs on steel, aluminum and automobiles.

South Korea's National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac is in Washington this week for the tariff talks with the U.S. side, his second trip to the U.S. this month alone.

New finance and industry ministers, appointed by President Lee Jae Myung, along with Foreign Minister Cho, are said to be planning visits to the U.S.

Cho said that the date of his U.S. visit has not yet been decided.

Asked about how he plans to address thorny history issues with Japan, Cho said that merely holding out hopes or pressuring Tokyo would not make the situation any better.

"I believe we need to approach this with perseverance and patience," he said. "It's important to ensure that these issues do not become an obstacle in the efforts toward developing bilateral relations into a future-oriented partnership," he said.

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