SEOUL: South Korea’s trade minister requested a tariff exemption in talks with the US administration, Seoul’s trade ministry mentioned on Saturday (Mar 1), as Washington strikes ahead with plans to impose new tariffs.
Ahn Duk-geun met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, US Inside Secretary Doug Burgum and US Commerce Consultant Jamieson Greer in Washington this week, in search of tariff exemptions from the administration of US President Donald Trump and discussing methods to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the 2 international locations, the ministry mentioned in an announcement.
“Minister Ahn mentioned strengthening partnerships in strategic industries equivalent to shipbuilding and superior industries with commerce secretary Lutnick. On the identical time, he conveyed South Korean corporations’ issues concerning the US authorities’s tariff measures and requested tariff exemptions,” the trade ministry mentioned.
South Korea and the US have additionally agreed to arrange a working-level channel to debate tariff-related points and cooperation within the shipbuilding sector, Seoul’s trade ministry mentioned.
Ahn’s assembly with Lutnick marked the primary ministerial-level commerce talks between the international locations in Trump’s second time period, happening amid a diplomatic vacuum as impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol is suspended from duties over his short-lived imposition of martial legislation.
Ahn travelled to Washington DC earlier this week to push for an exemption from US metal tariffs and focus on methods to cooperate in power and shipbuilding.
The journey got here lower than every week after Deputy Commerce Minister Park Jong-won led the primary main South Korean authorities delegation to go to Washington since Trump took workplace, asking his administration to exempt Seoul from metal and aluminium tariffs.
As a serious world exporter and prime buying and selling accomplice with the US, South Korea has seen Trump’s measures with growing concern.
Asia’s fourth-biggest financial system is amongst 20 international locations which have complete free commerce pacts with the US. Within the Asia-Pacific area, these embrace Australia and Singapore, whereas Japan has an settlement that focuses on crucial minerals.
Whereas the US-Korea Free Commerce Settlement (FTA) permits most items to be traded with out tariffs, Trump this month introduced plans to impose a 25 per cent tariff on metal and aluminium globally, together with on South Korea. The brand new tariffs are set to take impact in March, whereas the US president has additionally introduced reciprocal tariffs on buying and selling companions from April.
South Korea’s performing President and Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok urged US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a video name on Friday to concentrate to South Korea’s contributions to the US financial system in Washington’s policymaking.
