Experts call for strategic preparations for follow-up trade talks with US

Korea needs to make strategic preparations for future trade talks with the United States following a recent tariff deal, experts said Tuesday, stressing the need to prioritize the business community's interests. The call was made during a roundtable hosted by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) after Seoul struck a trade agreement with Washington under which the United States lowered its reciprocal tariff rate for Korea to 15 percent from the initially proposed 25 percent. In return, Seoul promised to invest a combined $350 billion in the U.S. for cooperation in key industries, including shipbuilding and semiconductors. The reciprocal tariffs went into effect Friday (U.S. time). "It is now time for Korea to devise strategies to effectively address the business community's challenges while building a mutually beneficial framework with the United States during follow-up talks," former Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee said. Yoo added that Asia's No. 4 economy also needs to diversify its trade portfolio amid the changing norms of the global trade environment following Washington's high tarWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times