Korea's trade minister vows to do 'all we can' to reach deal with Trump gov't

Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo arrives at Dulles International Airport near Washington, July 22. Yonhap

WASHINGTON — Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo pledged Tuesday to do "all we can" to reach a trade deal with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration as he arrived in Washington with the Aug. 1 deadline for tariff negotiations approaching.

Yeo made the remarks, underscoring Seoul's priority to maximize national interests in the negotiations, as he and new Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol are slated to attend the "2+2" trade talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Friday.

"At this point, we plan to engage in negotiations from across the board," he told Yonhap News Agency upon arrival at Dulles International Airport near Washington.

"(I) will meet U.S. administration officials, and there are also areas that we need to meet other stakeholders to persuade them about. Anyway, we plan to do all we can," he added.

Korea has been striving to avoid or minimize the impact of the Trump administration's proposed 25 percent "reciprocal" tariffs and other sector-specific tariffs, which are expected to weigh heavily on its export-reliant economy. The reciprocal tariffs are set to kick in Aug. 1 unless a deal is reached.

Yeo reiterated Seoul's focus on securing national interests in the negotiations as pressure is being ratcheted up with the looming deadline for making a deal with the U.S.

"It's a very grave situation," he said. "We will do our best in the negotiations, focusing on national interests while trying to reflect areas sensitive to our country as much as we can."

Asked if a deal can be reached before Aug. 1, the official said, "All possibilities remain open."

Ahead of the negotiation deadline, Korea is cranking up its high-level engagement with the Trump administration.

National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac arrived in Washington on Sunday, while Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan plans to visit the U.S. capital Wednesday for talks with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. New Foreign Minister Cho Hyun is also expected to come to Washington for talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

It marks Yeo's third visit to Washington since the administration of President Lee Jae Myung was launched last month.