(2nd LD) Top Seoul officials discuss shipbuilding cooperation with White House official amid trade talks

▲ Kim Yong-beom (L), presidential chief of staff for policy, and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan visit the White House in Washington on Oct. 16, 2025. (Yonhap)

▲ Kim Yong-beom (2nd R), presidential chief of staff for policy, along with Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, speaks to the press upon arrival at Dulles International Airport near Washington on Oct. 16, 2025. (Yonhap)

(2nd LD) Korean official-trade talks

(2nd LD) Top Seoul officials discuss shipbuilding cooperation with White House official amid trade talks

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES throughout; ADDS photo)

By Song Sang-ho, Cho Joon-hyung and Park Sung-min

WASHINGTON, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- Top South Korean officials held "constructive" talks with a senior White House official on Thursday over bilateral shipbuilding cooperation, a key component of Seoul's US$350 billion investment commitment under a trade deal struck in July, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said.

He and Kim Yong-beom, the presidential chief of staff for policy, met with Russell Vought, director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) -- an office that oversees U.S. shipbuilding efforts -- as Seoul and Washington strive to narrow differences over how to implement Korea's investment package.

The two officials arrived in Washington earlier in the day, as Seoul steps up efforts to expedite negotiations to finalize details of the trade deal by sending top officials, including Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, to Washington this week.

"We had constructive talks on various matters with respect to the MASGA project," Industry Minister Kim told reporters, referring to the "Make American Shipbuilding Industry Great Again (MASGA) project, an initiative that Korea has proposed to help rebuild the U.S. shipbuilding industry as part of the trade deal.

The MASGA project is known to involve constructing new shipyards in the U.S., nurturing shipbuilding personnel and reestablishing related supply chains as well as cooperating on maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) projects. It contributed to reaching the July trade deal.

Asked if Seoul officials discussed China's recent sanctioning of five U.S. units of South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean, the minister said that the meeting did not touch on the issue.

"We discussed what projects (regarding the MASGA initiative) we can carry out," he said.

The officials' visit to the OMB came as the office is a "very crucial" entity for shipbuilding projects although it is not directly involved in the trade negotiations, Presidential Chief of Staff Kim told reporters before entering the White House.

"(We are visiting the office) as we want to listen to what it has to say and share each other's view on shipbuilding industrial cooperation between our country and the U.S.," he said.

Upon arrival at an airport near Washington, the presidential aide told reporters that Seoul and Washington are engaging in trade negotiations in the "most earnest and constructive" atmosphere to date, amid speculation that the two countries have inched closer to an agreement to finalize the specifics of the trade deal.

"Taking stock of how (the negotiations) have so far been, we are at a juncture when the two countries are engaging in negotiations in the most earnest and constructive atmosphere," Kim said upon arrival at Dulles International Airport.

"(We) will do our utmost to ensure that negotiations will be wrapped up well in a direction that serves (Korea's) national interests," he added.

Asked to comment on U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's remarks on Wednesday that he expects an outcome from the negotiations within the next 10 days, the presidential official took them as an auspicious sign, saying, "Doesn't the U.S. appear to be likely to make many concessions then?"

"When the U.S. expects a result within 10 days, that apparently represents its interim assessment of the negotiations with us, and I read it as a sign that is not bad," he said. "We hope that the U.S. will reflect more of our position as much as it can."

Kim also reiterated Seoul's position that it would stick to its negotiation principles rather than rush to reach a deal.

During his stay in Washington, Industry Minister Kim is expected to meet with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick during his stay in Washington, while Finance Minister Koo is likely to meet Bessent.

Seoul's key officials involved in the trade negotiations converged in Washington, adding to the hope that the two sides can make substantial progress ahead of an expected summit between South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit set to begin late this month in Korea.

The two countries reached a framework trade deal in late July, under which Seoul has committed to investing $350 billion in the U.S., among other pledges, in return for Washington's agreement to lower its "reciprocal" tariff and sector-specific duty on South Korean autos to 15 percent from 25 percent.

But the deal has yet to go into force amid negotiations to bridge differences over a set of sticking points, including how to fund the investment package.

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