President Lee reviews pending US-Korea trade issues... ”I ask you to do your best for the national interest”

On the 28th, President Lee Jae-myung received a status report from the negotiating team regarding trade negotiations with the United States and discussed future response plans.
Presidential spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung said in a written briefing distributed to reporters that afternoon, "President Lee Jae-myung will hold a meeting with the U.S.-Korea Trade Commission this afternoon."
The report was given by Kim Jong-kwan, the head of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, who is currently overseas.
The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (equivalent to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry in Japan) and Trade Negotiator Yo Hang reported the results of negotiations between Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and USTR Jamison Greer to the President.
The talks were held in the form of a report to the Commerce Department. The talks were held to advance major issues, including cooperation in the shipbuilding industry, which was proposed at a meeting between the commerce secretaries of the two countries held in Washington, D.C. and New York last weekend.
The meeting was chaired by the president and included Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, Director of the National Security Advisor Wi Seong-nak, and Chief of Staff for Policy Kim Yong-beom.
The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Koo Yun-cheol and Minister of Foreign Affairs Cho Hyun, and involved comprehensive discussions covering not only trade but also the economy, diplomacy and security in general.
Deputy Prime Minister Yoon Chol and Minister Cho Hyun are scheduled to visit the United States this week and meet with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of State Marcos Benjamin Lee Rubio.
The presidential office said, "The government has held several multilateral meetings, including those with the G7 and NATO, and has also held several trade negotiation meetings with the head of the trade negotiating committee.
He added, "He has rushed to the US to take part in trade negotiations, including by visiting the US," and "especially since the heads of economy, foreign affairs and trade were appointed last week, he has been putting all his efforts into the negotiations."
Regarding the tone of the negotiations, the presidential office emphasized, "The most important criterion in tariff negotiations with the U.S. is national interest," and "We will negotiate while agonizing over what the most desirable plan is, taking into consideration various possibilities."
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