Kim Jung-kwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Yeo Han-koo, head of the trade negotiation office, who visited the U.S. for Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations, conducted high-level discussions with Doug Burgum, Chairperson of the U.S. National Energy Commission, and Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).
According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on the 25th, Minister Kim met with Chairperson Doug Burgum in Washington D.C. on the 24th (local time) to discuss ways to enhance cooperation on liquefied natural gas (LNG), power generation facilities, and rare minerals.
The U.S. side noted, "Opportunities for collaboration with Korea are expanding further through the relaxation of energy sector regulations by the Trump administration," and requested active participation from our corporations.
This seems to refer to the U.S. decision to lift regulations on the installation of mining facilities that it has maintained for environmental protection in Alaska. It is also interpreted as an intention to induce investment in the U.S. energy sector, including the Alaska LNG project. The Korean side responded, "We will continue to seek cooperation based on areas of interest."
Yeo Han-koo, head of the trade negotiation office, and Park Jung-sung, head of the trade and investment office, also continued consecutive discussions with the U.S. side in Washington D.C. On the afternoon of the 24th, Yeo held a video conference with Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, requesting active support from the Texas state government for stable investment activities by our corporations.
On the morning of the 25th, Yeo met with Jamieson Greer, the USTR representative, to focus on negotiations regarding key issues, including non-tariff measures. He explained efforts to resolve Korea's non-tariff measures, emphasizing that Korea should not receive unfavorable treatment compared to its competitors. He also reiterated a request for friendly consideration regarding U.S. tariff measures.
Deputy Minister Park Jung-sung, the chief negotiator, also met separately with USTR officials to conduct detailed negotiations on core issues.
Meanwhile, Minister Kim and Deputy Minister Yeo are staying locally to derive a final agreement for the negotiations. They are scheduled to hold additional negotiations with Howard Lutnick, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, on the afternoon of the 25th. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated, "We plan to make every effort to conclude the negotiations in the remaining time."