President Lee: "Tariff negotiations with the U.S. won’t be easy…can’t guarantee conclusion by the 8th"

On the 3rd, President Lee Jae-myung stated, "(Negotiations on tariffs with the United States are) clearly very difficult," and added, "It’s hard to guarantee whether the negotiations (with the U.S. government’s mutual tariff suspension deadline) can be concluded by the 8th."

At a 'press conference marking 30 days in office' held at the State Guest House of Cheong Wa Dae, President Lee made these remarks in response to a reporter’s question: "What is the current status of the tariff negotiations with the United States?" President Lee said, "(The tariff talks) are a topic that’s difficult to comment on, as just discussing them could affect the negotiations." He added, "We need to produce mutually beneficial results for both sides, but both parties have not yet clearly sorted out exactly what they want."

He continued, "We are discovering a lot of topics on our side as well, related to (the tariff negotiations)," and concluded, "All I can say is that we’ll do our best."

Reporter Kim Hyung-kyu khk@hankyung.com