U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 24th (local time) that he was "pretty close to being finalized" on tariff and trade negotiations with Korea.
According to the White House press pool on the 25th, the previous day Trump held a Q&A with reporters aboard Air Force One on his Asia tour to Malaysia, Japan and Korea. Asked, "Do you expect to wrap up negotiations with Korea during this visit?" he answered as such. He added, "If they have it ready, I'm ready."
This came right after a senior Trump administration official said in a media conference call on the Asia tour, "We are very eager to conclude an agreement with Korea as soon as possible. We want to do it as quickly as possible as soon as Korea is willing to accept the terms we consider appropriate."
Kim Yong-beom, Presidential Chief of Staff for Policy, and Minister Kim Jung-kwan of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy recently said after visiting the United States that "only one or two key issues remain." At home, there are also concerns that if investment funds flow out to the United States all at once, it could spark instability in the foreign exchange and financial markets.
Currently, the two countries are in last-minute tug-of-war talks over a $350 billion package of investment in the United States in July (about 500 trillion won). The United States plans to sharply lower the tariff on Korean exports from the current 25% to 15% on the condition that Korea reliably fulfills this investment pledge.