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2025-10-17 13:33:54
South Korean trade negotiating team intensifies consultations with the US: According to Yonhap News Agency, several senior South Korean government officials responsible for trade affairs met with US officials in Washington on the 16th to intensify trade negotiations with the US. That same day, Kim Jong-gwan of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Kim Yong-bum, director of the Policy Office of the Presidential Office, and Yeo Han-koo, director of the Trade Negotiations Bureau of the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, visited the US Department of Commerce building in Washington and held consultations with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick for approximately two hours. In response to questions from Yonhap News Agency reporters after the meeting, Kim Yong-bum stated that the two sides had a thorough discussion during the two hours. When asked if there was any progress, Kim Yong-bum did not directly answer, stating only that "the meeting lasted two hours." The key issue in the negotiations was the form of South Korea's $350 billion investment in the US. Differences on this issue had stalled the negotiations for over two months. Recently, the two sides appeared to have found a breakthrough, sparking concern. However, the extent to which the differences were narrowed remains unclear.
