U.S. Secretary of Commerce: "Korean officials flew to Scotland to meet me"

Howard Lutnick, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, confirmed on the 28th (local time) that Korean officials had traveled to Scotland to meet him for trade negotiations.

Secretary Lutnick said in an interview with Fox News that "the Koreans flew to Scotland after dinner to meet me and (Jamieson Greer), the U.S. Trade Representative at the USTR."

The 'Koreans' he referenced appear to be Minister Kim Jeong-gwan of the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy and Deputy Minister Yeo Han-gu for Trade.

He emphasized, "I mean, just think about how much they really want to reach a deal."

Earlier, Minister Kim and Deputy Minister Yeo held successive negotiations in Washington, D.C. and New York with Secretary Lutnick and others on the 24th and 25th, but could not narrow their differences. Afterwards, they learned that Secretary Lutnick would be accompanying President Trump on his visit to Scotland, so they hurried to Scotland.

Secretary Lutnick was present at the meeting venue in Turnberry, Scotland, where President Trump and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Union Commission, met. However, he did not attend the summit between President Trump and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer that day.

Given that Secretary Lutnick said in the interview, "I just got back from Scotland," it seems likely that Minister Kim and Deputy Minister Yeo also followed his schedule back to Washington, D.C.

Minister Kim and Deputy Minister Yeo are expected to continue last-minute negotiations with Secretary Lutnick until the U.S. mutual tariff suspension deadline of August 1.

When asked whether "there is a possibility that all deals will be concluded before August 1," Secretary Lutnick replied, "Yes. Everything is ready. My role is to prepare the table for the President, and he decides what to do."

Reporter Han Kyung-woo, Hankyung.com case@hankyung.com