U.S. Treasury: "Successful Tariff Talks with Korea...Brought the Best Proposal"

Besant: "Technical Issues Could Be Discussed as Early as Next Week"

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant stated on the morning of April 24 (local time) regarding the Korea-U.S. 2+2 trade consultations, "It seems that progress could be made faster than expected."

Secretary Besant made these remarks while attending a summit meeting at the White House between President Donald Trump and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, saying, "Today, we had a very successful bilateral meeting with the Korean government."

He added, "We could reach an agreement on understanding as early as next week," and explained, "We plan to discuss technical issues as early as next week."

Secretary Besant also stated, "Korea came early and brought the best proposal," adding, "We will see if they actually follow through."

Secretary Besant did not disclose what the agreement on understanding entailed. However, foreign media reported that after the U.S. announced reciprocal tariffs on April 2, dozens of countries requested negotiations, and the U.S. is now rushing to sign broad provisional agreements or memorandums of understanding with other countries, while postponing discussions on major issues. Previously, the U.S. announced that it had signed Terms of Reference (TOR) for bilateral trade negotiations with India.

On the morning of April 24, Korea and the U.S. held the Korea-U.S. 2+2 trade consultations at the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington, D.C. Choi Sangmok, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Economy and Finance, and Ahn Deokgeun, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, met with Secretary Besant and Jamison Greer, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The meeting began at 8:10 a.m. and ended at 9:18 a.m., lasting approximately one hour and eight minutes.

Meanwhile, local media reported that the U.S. is pressuring Korea, Japan, and other countries involved in tariff negotiations to formalize participation in an Alaska liquefied natural gas (LNG) project worth $44 billion. According to the New York Times, the U.S. wants Korean and Japanese trade officials to attend a summit in Alaska on June 2 and sign a letter of intent (LOI) for investment in the Alaska LNG project. The Korean government is seeking the elimination of the 25% reciprocal tariff and resolution of the 25% automobile tariff in negotiations with the U.S., while also trying to use participation in the Alaska LNG project as leverage in the talks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.