Top diplomats of S. Korea, U.S. to hold talks amid Trump's tariff threat

S Korea-US-FM talks

Top diplomats of S. Korea, U.S. to hold talks amid Trump's tariff threat

By Kim Seung-yeon

SEOUL, Feb. 3 (Yonhap) -- The top diplomats of South Korea and the United States will hold talks in Washington this week, the foreign ministry said Tuesday, amid uncertainties over their trade deal after U.S. President Donald Trump's warning of a tariff hike.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will meet one-one-one with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday (local time) to discuss efforts toward implementing the summit agreements reached between Trump and President Lee Jae Myung, including the trade deal, the ministry said.

Cho is visiting Washington to attend a U.S.-led ministerial meeting on critical minerals supply chains, set for Wednesday.

The upcoming talks between Cho and Rubio are their first meeting since Trump threatened to raise the reciprocal tariff on South Korean goods to 25 percent from 15 percent, citing a delay in Seoul's legislative process required to move the trade deal forward.

The two sides "plan to have broad consultations on pending bilateral issues, including measures to accelerate efforts to implement follow-up steps outlined in the joint fact sheet," the ministry said, referring to the joint summit document produced after the summits in August and October last year.

Cho's visit adds to the urgency for Seoul to work out the matter with its ally, as last week's trip to the U.S. by Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan has suggested little progress was made in reassuring Washington of the commitment to implementing the trade deal.

After talks with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, Kim said their meeting ended without a conclusion, though he believes it was worthwhile in that it helped resolve "unnecessary misunderstandings."

Under the joint fact sheet, South Korea committed to investing US$350 billion in the U.S., including $200 billion in cash installments with an annual cap of $20 billion, in exchange for the lowering of the tariff rate.

On Sunday, a ruling party lawmaker said it will make efforts for the National Assembly to pass a special bill on implementing the investment package by late this month or early March.

Speaking on a panel discussion with journalists in Seoul last week, Cho said that Trump's tariff threat should not be seen as a breakdown of the trade deal, but as part of the process to implement the agreement.

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