Korea and the United States agreed to swiftly launch working-level consultative bodies to quickly implement the summit agreements in key areas such as nuclear energy, shipbuilding, and nuclear-powered submarines. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on the 1st (local time) that this was agreed as a follow-up to the joint fact sheet adopted at the summit, sharing the outcome of the vice foreign ministers' meeting in Washington, D.C.
At the meeting, Vice Minister Park Yoon-joo of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau agreed to promptly launch working-level consultative bodies by sector to quickly and faithfully carry out follow-up measures in major fields such as nuclear energy, shipbuilding, and nuclear-powered submarines. At the meeting, Park asked for the swift start of procedures for Korea-U.S. consultations on Korea's civilian uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing, and Deputy Secretary Landau responded, "Let's communicate closely between the two sides."
The two also agreed to work together so that full-fledged Korea-U.S. consultations can take place on nuclear-powered submarines and shipbuilding cooperation. This confirms a shared understanding that both sides will actively and swiftly implement the agreements specified in the fact sheet.
Park also explained Korea's efforts to implement the fact sheet and stressed that corresponding U.S. tariff reductions should be carried out quickly. The same day, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick officially announced that, under a trade agreement between Korea and the United States, the tariff on Korean automobiles would be reduced retroactively to 15% as of Nov. 1.
Minister Lutnick said on the Commerce Department's official X account (formerly Twitter), "Korea's move to begin advancing a strategic investment bill in the National Assembly is a key step to ensure that President Trump's trade agreement benefits American industry and workers." He added, "Accordingly, the United States will reduce the automobile tariff to 15% starting Nov. 1 under the agreement and will adjust certain tariffs."
He also said, "We will eliminate tariffs on aircraft parts and align reciprocal tariff on Korea with those on Japan and the European Union (EU)." Earlier, the ruling Democratic Party of Korea introduced the Special Act on the Management of Korea-U.S. Strategic Investment (Special Act on Investment in the United States) in the National Assembly on the 26th of last month, which was a precondition for this measure. Under the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Korea-U.S. strategic investment signed on Nov. 14, the two countries agreed to apply the tariff cut retroactively to the 1st of the month in which the bill was introduced.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, after the State Department meeting, Vice Minister Park told reporters, "We formed a consensus with the U.S. side for the swift and proactive implementation of the fact sheet and decided to establish channels for substantive consultations." Park added, "Between the two countries, each institution will match counterparts for the consultations, form a task force, and set up consultation channels."
The U.S. State Department said of the meeting, "We welcome Korea's commitment to invest in the United States across key strategic sectors, including shipbuilding." Deputy Secretary Landau emphasized, "Korea's investment is contributing significantly to America's reindustrialization efforts," and the two sides jointly celebrated the success of President Donald Trump's state visit to Korea on Oct. 29–30 and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
The State Department also said that discussions on implementing the fact sheet are linked to modernizing the Korea-U.S. alliance, which has been a key pillar of peace, security, and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula and in the Indo-Pacific for more than 70 years.
Meanwhile, the meeting also discussed follow-up measures to prevent a recurrence of the recent "arrest and detention of Korean workers in Georgia." The two sides said there had been tangible progress, including plans to open a dedicated visa consultation window for Korean corporations. Vice Minister Park asked Deputy Secretary Landau for continued attention to ensure the smooth travel of Korean businesspeople and technical personnel to the United States.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Vice Minister Park plans to exchange in-depth opinions on follow-up measures to the summit and policy toward North Korea through separate dinners with Korea-related officials at the White House National Security Council (NSC) and the State Department during this trip to the United States.