Lee Jae-myung, the president, said, "Let's not commit sins against history," as the U.S. tariff negotiations reached a critical point, according to Kang Hoon, the presidential chief of staff.
Kang noted on his Facebook on the 31st, "It has been a few days where I hid my anxious feelings under an expressionless face," introducing behind-the-scenes stories of the trade negotiation process.
According to Kang, President Lee said after a meeting with the three offices (the chief of staff, policy office, and National Security Office) and a video conference with the ministers at the end of the negotiations, "Let's go to my room."
Later, President Lee sat silently for a while and then softly said, "Deputy Minister Kang, we should not commit sins against our history," Kang reported.
Kang said, "The president often felt frustrated during the negotiations," adding, "He, who usually has no obstacles, was extremely cautious and focused a lot." He continued, "When President Lee finally said, 'Let's go to lunch,' I realized a section had finally been completed."
Kang added, "It was a day to be grateful for the president's worries and decisions, the dedication of all officials from the various ministries and the presidential office, and their teamwork."
As a result of the trade agreement between Korea and the U.S., the U.S. reduced the mutual tariff rate imposed on Korea from the previous 25% to 15%, a decrease of 10 percentage points. Korea promised to invest $350 billion (approximately 487 trillion won) in the U.S. and purchase $100 billion (approximately 140 trillion won) worth of U.S. liquefied natural gas (LNG) and energy.