Seoul, April 14 Acting President Han Duck-soo said on Monday that US President Donald Trump "apparently" instructed his administration to conduct immediate tariff negotiations with South Korea, Japan and India.
Han made the remark during a meeting with government officials and large business executives, referring to Trump's actions after they held a phone call last week.
"We discussed what we are going to do regarding the implementation of the United States' reciprocal tariffs, and which subjects South Korea and the U.S. will hold negotiations on," the acting president said, reports Yonhap news agency.
"President Trump was very satisfied and apparently gave instructions (to his aides) to hold immediate negotiations with South Korea, Japan and India," he added.
The basis for Han's remark was not clear, but the same day that Han and Trump spoke by phone Tuesday, Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, told Fox News that Trump "obviously prioritizes two of our closest allies and trading partners, Japan and Korea," in tariff negotiations.
The next day, Trump announced a 90-day pause in the implementation of the "reciprocal" tariffs, including 25 percent for South Korea.
"If necessary, I will directly communicate with President Donald Trump and make efforts to come up with a solution," Han said, vowing to push for a negotiating team led by Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun to visit the U.S. at an early date.
"It appears South Korea and the U.S. will establish a negotiation system for all sectors and begin negotiations at an early date to produce detailed measures," Han said, noting he expects the two sides to hold a videoconference "in the next one or two days" regarding cooperation on a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Alaska.
The LNG project was discussed during Han's phone call with Trump, after the U.S. president touted the interest of South Korea and other countries in partnering with the U.S. to build a pipeline from the North Slope, a proven massive reserve of natural gas, to southern Alaska to transport natural gas that will be cooled to liquid for shipments to Asia.
"I believe President Trump agreed with our determination to faithfully conduct win-win negotiations," Han told the officials.
During the meeting, business executives requested the government to conduct negotiations for tariff exemptions on equipment their companies bring to America as part of a process to establish manufacturing plants in the country.
Senior executives who attended the meeting included Kim Won-kyong, a president of Samsung Electronics, and Kim Dong-wook, a vice president at Hyundai Motor.
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