SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea’s top trade envoy, Yeo Han-koo, is heading to the United States on Monday for follow-up tariff negotiations, the trade ministry said, as the countries struggle to overcome obstacles to finalise a trade deal agreed in July.
Details of the broad trade agreement still need to be hammered out, especially around a $350 billion investment fund.
Officials in Seoul have said trade talks are being delayed because the terms outlined in a similar deal with Japan struck with the U.S. are unacceptable for South Korea due to foreign exchange market implications.
Yeo’s trip comes after Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan recently returned from Washington after talks with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
“We’re working hard to achieve an outcome that is reasonable and m