"He told us how to persuade Trump"... An 'unexpected figure' who helped Korea

Lutnick passes on negotiation know-how to Korea

After the U.S.-Japan talks, Lutnick personally contacts Korea

Korea-U.S. negotiations accelerate thereafter

Minister Kim Jung-kwan summarizes key negotiating points on a panel

Director Yeo defends the agri-livestock market with photos from the mad cow protests

On the 30th (local time), as the Korean government negotiation team concluded trade talks with the United States, there was an unexpected figure who shared negotiation strategies with President Donald Trump — Howard Lutnick, the U.S. Secretary of Commerce. Secretary Lutnick is known for his tough tactics in trade negotiations, but in talks with Korea, he is reported to have personally told the Korean negotiators how to approach President Trump.

Koo Yoon-cheol, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, Kim Jung-kwan, Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, and Yeo Han-koo, Deputy Minister for Trade Negotiations, relayed these details during a post-agreement briefing at the Korean Embassy in the U.S.

Minister Kim said, "When I went to Scotland, Secretary Lutnick gave me a lot of advice," and added, "He was especially interested in industry and financing, and this influenced our tactical approach." Hearing about Lutnick’s interests, he judged that the negotiations should focus on shipbuilding.

Director Yeo also commented, "The Secretary of Commerce played a very important role," and added, "The real start of Korea-U.S. negotiations came after the U.S.-Japan agreement, when Secretary Lutnick got in touch. From that point, things started moving faster."

The Korean negotiation team had prepared extensively for their meeting with President Trump, but revealed that they didn’t know if a direct meeting would be possible until the very last moment.

On that day, at a press briefing at the embassy in Washington, D.C., Minister Kim Jung-kwan said regarding the talks with President Trump, held at the White House just about four hours earlier, that "President Trump felt like a master negotiator."

Minister Kim explained, "We ran role-play simulations where we took on the role of President Trump ourselves to prepare for possible scenarios."

Kim reported that, immediately after a hearing in Korea, he prepared a 1m x 1m panel for the U.S. negotiations, summarizing Korea’s proposals and the positive impacts a mutually beneficial deal would have on both countries. He said, "When I met Secretary Lutnick for the first time, I brought this material and received a positive response."

Director Yeo prepared photos of the 2008 Gwanghwamun protests during the mad cow disease crisis to defend against further opening of Korea's agri-livestock market. He commented, "There was strong pressure throughout the negotiations for additional opening of the agri-livestock market," and added, "But it helped that the U.S. government recognized the sensitivity of this issue for Korea."

Washington = Shin-Young Park, correspondent nyusos@hankyung.com