Lee expresses optimism for 'rational' trade deal with US in interview with CNN

President Lee Jae Myung said Thursday he believes South Korea can reach a "rational" trade agreement with the United States, citing the importance of their alliance, as the two countries are working to iron out differences over details of Seoul's $350 billion investment pledge. Lee made the remarks in an interview with CNN amid rising expectations that a trade deal between Seoul and Washington could be finalized during his talks with President Donald Trump, expected to take place on the sidelines of next week's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in South Korea. "I believe that in the end, we will be able to reach a rational result that is acceptable, because we are an alliance and we both have common sense and rationality," Lee said in an English-dubbed comment. Expectations have grown that Seoul and Washington will seek to make as much progress as possible on sticking points in the investment pledge, which is linked to a framework deal reached in July to lower tariffs on Korean products and reduce the sectoral duty on automobiles from 25 percent to 15 percent. Kim Yong-beomWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times