Prime Minister Kim Min-seok on the 26th of last month (local time) said of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff increase message, "It cannot be seen as a diplomatic failure of our government in light of President Trump's unique way of delivering messages."
Kim said at a press briefing on the 2nd, "Even within the U.S. government, it was a message that most were not aware of in advance except for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and President Trump," adding this.
Regarding his earlier remark, made just before President Trump's message, that he had established a "hotline with the United States" through a U.S. visit, he said, "I think it was good that we opened the hotline right before that situation," and added, "Not only the hotline but also various existing channels were activated, and we went through a process to grasp the real intent."
Kim also addressed some claims that U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance's warning over the Coupang data leak incident ultimately led to a tariff increase, saying, "I think that's a misread," and, "It also differs from the position confirmed with the U.S. government." He said, "We fully exchanged views to prevent trade issues between the two countries from needlessly escalating or causing misunderstandings."