The U.S. Department of the Treasury explained that the reason for postponing the upcoming U.S.-South Korea economic and trade 2+2 ministerial meeting, scheduled for the 25th (local time) in Washington, was due to scheduling issues with Scott Bessent, the Secretary of the Treasury.
According to a report from Yonhap News on the 24th, a spokesperson for the Treasury Department said, "Minister Bessent's bilateral meeting with South Korea is being rescheduled due to a scheduling conflict," adding, "The minister looks forward to meeting his South Korean counterpart soon."
"Scheduling conflict" is a term used when multiple events or appointments overlap at the same time, necessitating a priority arrangement.
This implies that Minister Bessent has another schedule that takes precedence over the U.S.-South Korea meeting, which has led to the postponement of the 2+2 talks. He is scheduled to attend U.S.-China trade negotiations in Stockholm, Sweden, on the 28th to 29th, and what schedule he may have around the 25th remains unclear.
Earlier, on the morning of the 24th, the Ministry of Economy and Finance of South Korea also announced through a media notice that the previously planned "2+2 negotiations" with the United States could not take place due to Minister Bessent's urgent schedule.