Bessent to attend APEC forum in Gyeongju next week: Treasury Dept.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks with reporters at the White House in Washington, Oct. 22. AP-Yonhap
WASHINGTON — U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will visit South Korea to attend the Asia-Pacific Cooperation (APEC) forum next week as part of his Asia trip that will also take him to Malaysia and Japan, his office said Thursday.
The Treasury Department said that Bessent will participate in the APEC forum, as U.S. President Donald Trump plans to visit Korea on the occasion of the APEC gathering. Seoul is set to host the multilateral summit in the southeastern city of Gyeongju on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1.
The department did not specify the exact travel dates of his schedule.
Bessent's trip comes after months of intensive trade negotiations between Seoul and Washington aimed at bridging differences over Korea's $350 billion investment pledge under a bilateral framework trade deal struck in late July.
In Malaysia, Bessent plans to meet with China's Vice Premier He Lifeng to discuss bilateral trade. He will also participate in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Kuala Lumpur.
In Japan, the secretary will accompany Trump on the president's state visit to the country.