Top South Korean Official Heads to U.S. for High-Stakes Talks on Tariffs, Trade Status

The South Korean industry minister is scheduled to visit Washington, D.C., this week, to discuss the country’s concerns about being put on the U.S. Watchlist, and to press for fair treatment in tariffs, according to the ministry of industry.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s designation of South Korea, as a “sensitive nation”, sparked controversy at Seoul. This U.S. ally was placed on the bottom tier of the watchlist, which also includes China, Iran, and North Korea.

The ministry announced that Ahn Duk Geun, Minister of Industry, would “seek to resolve the sensitive issue of country designation quickly.”

When asked if he believed Washington could be convinced to remove South Korea’s name from the watchlist, Cho Ta-yul, the Foreign Minister, told lawmakers on Wednesday that Ahn’s visit was a great opportunity.

Joseph Yun said that South Korea had been added to the list after visitors to the Energy Department’s laboratories mishandled sensitive data.

Ahn will tell the U.S. commerce and energy secretaries how much South Korea invested in the United States to get fair trade treatment before the U.S. reciprocal duties kick in on April 2, the ministry stated.

The South Korean trade minister visited Washington recently and urged his American colleagues to exempt South Korea from tariff measures.