U.S.: "If South Korea accepts appropriate conditions, trade negotiations can be swiftly concluded"

A senior official of the Donald Trump administration said on the 24th (local time) that he hopes South Korea will accept the United States' demands in the trade negotiations and swiftly reach a final agreement.

According to Yonhap News Agency, the official, when asked a related question during a phone briefing regarding President Donald Trump's Asia tour, replied, "We very much desire to reach an agreement with Korea as soon as possible."

He added, "We want to do it as soon as possible, insofar as Korea is willing to accept the conditions we deem appropriate."

The two countries have been unable to find common ground over the composition and implementation measures of South Korea's US$350 billion investment package for the United States, which was reached in July. The U.S. demanded that Korea pay US$350 billion in cash, but Korea resisted, saying it would be an amount exceeding 80% of its foreign exchange reserves and could lead to a foreign exchange crisis.

Accordingly, it is unclear whether a trade agreement will be announced at the U.S.-Korea summit scheduled for the 29th.

However, the senior U.S. official reaffirmed that President Trump wants to cooperate with Korea to rebuild the U.S. shipbuilding industry.

Han Kyung-woo Hankyung.com reporter case@hankyung.com