Controversy grows over South Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations

The tariff negotiations are exposing a widening rift between South Korea and the United States, as their top economic officials are issuing conflicting public statements. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok reaffirmed Seoul’s position that there is no urgency to reach a quick deal, saying, “There is no reason to conclude before the presidential election.” His comments stood in sharp contrast to those of U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who claimed South Korea is pushing to finalize the deal before the vote and tout it as an achievement during the upcoming campaign.

Appearing before the National Assembly’s Strategy and Finance Committee on Wednesday, Choi said, “I was puzzled by Secretary Bessent’s remarks yesterday, so I looked up the original transcript and saw that he made those comments for domestic consumption in the United States during U.S. President Donald Trump’s 100th-day press conference.”

However, with no joint statement issued after the Korea-U.S. 2+2 trade talks held March 24, controversy over what was actually discussed is expected to intensify. The so-called “July package” was also confirmed as a framework reflecting Seoul’s internal goal of reaching a deal by July — not an officially agreed term with Washington.

The Democratic Party of Korea responded sharply, saying, “It has now been confirmed that Acting President Han Duck-soo sought to trade away the national interest by packaging the tariff talks with the United States as his own achievement and using it as a launchpad for his presidential bid.”


세종=정순구 기자 soon9@donga.com