Seoul official stresses commitment to accelerating tariff talks with US over next 2 weeks

WASHINGTON — A Korean diplomat on Monday reiterated Seoul's commitment to accelerating trade talks with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration over the next two weeks, hoping for a deal that expands two-way trade rather than constraining it. Ahn Se-ryeong, economic minister at the Korean Embassy in Washington, made the remarks as Seoul seeks to reach a deal over various trade and industrial cooperation issues, including the Trump administration's "reciprocal" tariffs that are set to kick in Aug. 1. "We intend to accelerate substantive discussions over the next two weeks — with the deadline extended (to) Aug. 1 — to identify a viable landing zone between (Korea) and the United States with the aim of reaching a mutually beneficial agreement that balances and expands our bilateral trade rather than constraining it," she said during a forum hosted by the Korea Economic Institute of America. The minister pointed out that while Seoul "fully understands" Trump's determination to rebalance the bilateral trade relationship, Korea believes that addressing non-tariff barriers and fosteWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times