SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea’s Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo will visit Washington, D.C. from March 13 to 14 to discuss trade issues including reciprocal tariffs and investment projects with his counterparts, the trade ministry said on Wednesday.
Cheong will meet with officials at the United States Trade Representative for consultations on U.S.
tariff measures and investment plans by South Korean companies in the country, the ministry said in a statement.
Earlier this week, Cheong said in an interview with the Yonhap News Agency that he would do his best to influence the U.S.
administration’s evaluation of South Korea in a more favourable way, ahead of President Donald Trump’s trade policy report due to be unveiled in early April.
Cheong also said that he was confident about fully explaining to the Trump administration South Korea’s tariffs on imports from the United States.
Last week, Trump singled out South Korea for applying high tariffs.
The U.S. President said the Asian country’s tariffs were four times higher than those of the United States.
Seoul has disputed this. As of 2024, South Korea’s effective tariff rate on U.S.
imports stood at 0.79%, according to Seoul’s trade ministry.
Cheong’s trip comes after South Korea’s acting President Choi Sang-mok ordered on Monday the government to more actively communicate with the U.S.
administration to resolve any misunderstanding over tariffs.
Trump’s 25% tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum, which came into force on Wednesday, are the first measures that directly impact South Korea.
(Reporting by Jihoon LeeEditing by Ed Davies)
