Presidential Office: "Negotiation duration and national interest not necessarily linked" in Korea-U.S. tariff talks

"Difficult to view as prolonged"... Regarding U.S. detention incident: "Investigating potential human rights violations"

Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong briefs on the Strategic Meeting for Rationalizing Key Regulations (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Do-hoon = Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong is briefing on the Strategic Meeting for Rationalizing Key Regulations to be held this afternoon at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 15th. The Strategic Meeting for Rationalizing Key Regulations is a newly established public-private joint meeting platform to decisively resolve regulations hindering new industries. The first meeting, to be held this afternoon, will discuss key regulations that impede job creation for the younger generation and the growth of new industries. 2025.9.15 superdoo82@yna.co.kr

The Presidential Office stated on the 15th regarding concerns that the Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations are being delayed, "It is difficult to say that the negotiation period is directly linked to national interest."

In a briefing, Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong was asked, "If the negotiations are prolonged, national interest could be harmed. Have you set a negotiation deadline?" She responded, "I don't quite understand the basis for your statement that national interest is being harmed due to prolonged negotiations," and stated the aforementioned.

Spokesperson Kang added, "We have been engaged in tariff negotiations for just over 100 days since the start of this administration. Considering that other administrations began negotiations much earlier, it is difficult to call this prolonged."

When asked about the Presidential Office's stance on U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks that he "does not want to scare or discourage other countries or overseas companies from investing in the United States," she replied, "We have no particular stance."

She further elaborated, "As President Lee Jae-myung mentioned in his 100-day press conference, negotiations with the United States remain unchanged in their principle of prioritizing the preservation of our national interest, and if there are unreasonable demands, we will negotiate with the goal of 'preserving national interest'."

Regarding the question, "The U.S. is known to have a negative stance on a Korea-U.S. currency swap," she said, "We cannot help but consider the impact on the foreign exchange market, and we are proceeding with negotiations after fully considering this as well."

When asked if the Presidential Office is discussing with companies to minimize damage to Korean companies as Japan's automotive tariffs of 15% are set to be applied from tomorrow in the U.S., Spokesperson Kang mentioned, "I understand that Korean automotive companies will not be immediately subject to the 25% tariff starting tomorrow."

She reiterated, "Nevertheless, it appears to be an area that requires comprehensive consideration, including the profits and losses of companies, national wealth, foreign exchange reserves, and Korea's position in the international landscape, when making judgments in the negotiations."

Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong briefs on the Strategic Meeting for Rationalizing Key Regulations (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Do-hoon = Presidential Spokesperson Kang Yu-jeong is briefing on the Strategic Meeting for Rationalizing Key Regulations to be held this afternoon at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 15th. The Strategic Meeting for Rationalizing Key Regulations is a newly established public-private joint meeting platform to decisively resolve regulations hindering new industries. The first meeting, to be held this afternoon, will discuss key regulations that impede job creation for the younger generation and the growth of new industries. 2025.9.15 superdoo82@yna.co.kr

Meanwhile, regarding the incident where a South Korean worker at the construction site of the Hyundai Motor Group-LG Energy Solution joint battery factory in Georgia, U.S., was detained and later released, she stated, "The government is looking into the matter more closely with the company, including potential human rights violations."

Spokesperson Kang explained, "From the early stages of this incident, our government expressed strong regret to the U.S. side and requested that the rights and human rights of our citizens should not be unjustly infringed. There have been aspects that have been accepted and improved as a result. However, we plan to further examine whether there were any infringements on the rights or inconveniences faced by our citizens."

She added, "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is looking into whether our requests have been well-received, and the company is also investigating. We are examining whether there were any shortcomings in the actions taken by either the Korean or U.S. side. This can be seen as a comprehensive investigation." Yonhap News