Cho Hyun "No deadline for Korea-U.S. trade talks… Nuclear talks to start soon"

"May take a little more time to negotiate"

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said there is no set deadline for trade talks between Korea and the United States, and that nuclear-related negotiations will begin soon.

On the 23rd, Minister Cho appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' and, when asked whether a Korea-U.S. trade negotiation agreement could be announced on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, replied, "It's not necessary to set a specific point as a deadline."

He explained, "As President Lee Jae-myung has said, we must prioritize national interest and base decisions on commercial rationality; if something falls short of these, we may take a little more time to negotiate."

He added, "There is a complex structure regarding investment structure, investment methods, and profit distribution where if one thing is reduced a little, another increases instead," and said, "In the end, we can create a good package that allows Korea and the U.S. to 'win-win'."

Minister Cho said that in security-related negotiations, revision of the Korea-U.S. Atomic Energy Cooperation Agreement was "of course included," and that "we strongly requested uranium enrichment and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, and this was accepted, so these negotiations will also begin soon."

Regarding the issue of defense cost-sharing, he was reserved, saying, "The United States did not request an (increase)," and "I will say that we defended our position."

About the joint declaration at the Gyeongju APEC summit, Minister Cho said, "It will be difficult to restore free trade here, and such a declaration is unlikely to come out." He said whether wording emphasizing free trade will be included in the declaration "remains an issue," and added, "Whether to restore a spirit of cooperation will not be easy. The fact that we discuss how to deal with a chaotic international political and economic order has meaning in itself."

Asked whether recent U.S. moves such as replacing the acting ambassador to South Korea were a prelude to North Korea-U.S. dialogue, he said, "It's not because of that," but explained that he "cannot rule out" the possibility of a 'surprise meeting.'

He also said that some of our nationals who had been detained and released by Georgia immigration authorities in the U.S. and then returned home have already re-entered the U.S. locally without problems.

Kim Dae-young, Hankyung.com reporter kdy@hankyung.com