- SEOUL — Acting President Han Duck-soo said on Monday that US President
Donald Trump "apparently" instructed his administration to conduct
immediate tariff negotiations with South Korea, Japan and India.
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- Han made the remark during a meeting with government
officials and large business executives, referring to Trump's actions after
they held a phone call last week.
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- "We discussed what we are going to do regarding the
implementation of the United States' reciprocal tariffs, and which subjects South
Korea and the U.S. will hold negotiations on," the acting president said,
reports Yonhap news agency.
Also read: South Korea's acting President says will not join hands with China, Japan to fight US tariffs
- "President Trump was very satisfied and apparently
gave instructions (to his aides) to hold immediate negotiations with South
Korea, Japan and India," he added.
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- The basis for Han's remark was not clear, but the same
day that Han and Trump spoke by phone Tuesday, Kevin Hassett, director of the
White House National Economic Council, told Fox News that Trump "obviously
prioritizes two of our closest allies and trading partners, Japan and
Korea," in tariff negotiations.
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- The next day, Trump announced a 90-day pause in the
implementation of the "reciprocal" tariffs, including 25 percent for
South Korea.
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- "If necessary, I will directly communicate with President
Donald Trump and make efforts to come up with a solution," Han said,
vowing to push for a negotiating team led by Industry Minister Ahn Duk-geun to
visit the U.S. at an early date.
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- "It appears South Korea and the U.S. will establish
a negotiation system for all sectors and begin negotiations at an early date to
produce detailed measures," Han said, noting he expects the two sides to
hold a videoconference "in the next one or two days" regarding
cooperation on a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Alaska.
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- The LNG project was discussed during Han's phone call
with Trump, after the U.S. president touted the interest of South Korea and
other countries in partnering with the U.S. to build a pipeline from the North
Slope, a proven massive reserve of natural gas, to southern Alaska to transport
natural gas that will be cooled to liquid for shipments to Asia.
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- "I believe President Trump agreed with our
determination to faithfully conduct win-win negotiations," Han told the
officials.
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- During the meeting, business executives requested the
government to conduct negotiations for tariff exemptions on equipment their
companies bring to America as part of a process to establish manufacturing
plants in the country.
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- Senior executives who attended the meeting included Kim
Won-kyong, a president of Samsung Electronics, and Kim Dong-wook, a vice
president at Hyundai Motor.
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