Seoul, April 14 Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun could visit the United States as early as next week for negotiations with Washington over its reciprocal tariffs, a government official here said on Monday.
Ahn's expected trip comes as Seoul seeks an exemption from the U.S.' global tariffs, including a 25 percent duty on South Korea, which the Trump administration put on hold last week for 90 days except for China, reports Yonhap news agency.
"Depending on how the schedule is coordinated, the timing could be somewhat adjusted," a government official told Yonhap News Agency. "A trip to the U.S. could happen as early as next week."
Earlier on Monday, acting President Han Duck-soo said the government would organize a negotiating team centred around Ahn to push for negotiations with U.S. officials at an early date.
Ahn visited the U.S. in February and March, and met key officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, for talks on industrial cooperation, such as in the shipbuilding sector.
Ahn's forthcoming trip is expected to focus on requesting U.S. officials to ease or exempt South Korea from the reciprocal tariffs, and explain Seoul's efforts to resolve non-tariff barriers that Washington takes issue with.
Meanwhile, Acting President Han Duck-soo said on Monday that U.S. 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 U.S.' reciprocal tariffs and which subjects South Korea and the U.S. will hold negotiations on," the acting president said.
"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 prioritises two of our closest allies and trading partners, Japan and Korea," in tariff negotiations.
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