Kim Dong-yeon, the governor of Gyeonggi Province, visited the United States for "tariff diplomacy" and met with Steve Biegun, former special representative for North Korea policy and a key figure in the Trump administration's first term, to discuss responses to tariff issues.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon meets with former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun at the Ford School at the University of Michigan on Oct. 10 local time. /Courtesy of Gyeonggi Province
Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon meets with former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun at the Ford School at the University of Michigan on Oct. 10 local time. /Courtesy of Gyeonggi Province

According to Gyeonggi Province on the 12th, Governor Kim held talks with former representative Biegun in a classroom at the Ford School of the University of Michigan on the 10th (local time).

Former representative Biegun was appointed as the special representative for North Korea policy following Joseph Yun (current U.S. ambassador to South Korea) and was a North Korean nuclear expert who engaged in "extended negotiations" with North Korea's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui in Sweden in January 2019 regarding the second U.S.-North Korea summit. He later advanced to the position of Director General at the State Department, overseeing foreign policy, and played a pivotal role in the Trump administration's first term.

Before joining the Trump administration, he worked for about 15 years as a vice president at Ford, an automotive company.

The meeting was not planned in the itinerary; however, Governor Kim's team organized the meeting to seek strategic advice on tariff issues, given that former representative Biegun was a key figure in the Trump administration and Ford.

Governor Kim noted, "The automotive industry is strategically very important to both Michigan and Gyeonggi Province," and he inquired about solutions regarding tariff issues. Former representative Biegun replied, "Over the past 10 years, South Korea has been one of the countries that invested the most in the United States," adding, "There is still room for negotiation."

He further added, "To some extent, South Korean manufacturers have already succeeded in becoming part of the U.S. automotive industry," stating, "When Hyundai Motor produces cars in Georgia, it is essentially an American-made vehicle. This would be a very persuasive point for lowering tariffs."

When Governor Kim mentioned that he had agreed on four items with Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, to jointly respond to automobile parts tariffs, former representative Biegun remarked, "If the governors of Gyeonggi Province and Michigan cooperate, they could likely consolidate the opinions of the top five corporations among the world’s top 10 automotive companies."

Governor Kim concluded his trip to the United States after his meeting with former representative Biegun and headed back home. He is scheduled to visit the site of the collapsed construction area of the Gwangmyeong Shin-Ansan Line after arriving at Incheon International Airport at 4:30 p.m. on the same day.