Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik said on the 30th regarding the details of the U.S.-Korea tariff negotiation agreement, "I want to state clearly that this agreement does not include any additional tariff eliminations or market openings, including for agricultural products."
Deputy Minister Kang said this in response to U.S. Commerce Minister Howard Lutnick's claim on SBS News that "Korea agreed to open its market 100% completely."
Deputy Minister Kang said, "The language of politicians basically needs to be interpreted politically," and explained, "We do not need to refute one by one what was said for their own citizens." Kang added that Korea has already opened its agricultural and livestock markets to nearly 100% through the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and other measures.
He also said, "If the documents such as a joint fact sheet or a memorandum of understanding (MOU) are compiled within a few days, the controversy will subside."
Deputy Minister Kang assessed the tariff negotiation results by saying, "Both sides had a 'win-win,'" and, "It was good that we created a new structure." He also said, "President Lee Jae-myung is grateful to the public and corporations who endured the arduous process," and, "He conveyed that we must further strengthen national power."