President Lee "Discuss Based on Commercial Rationality"... US Treasury "Difficulties Can Be Overcome"

Met Besant in New York... "Security Consultations Proceeding Well, Trade Consultations Should Also Be Fruitful"

"South Korea's Economic Scale and Foreign Exchange Market Differ from Japan's... Discussions Should Align with Both Countries' Interests"

Besant "Trump Also Emphasizes 'Korea as Important Partner'... Significant Progress in Trade, Internal Discussions on Investment"

President Lee Jae-myung Presiding Over a UN Security Council Open Debate (New York=Yonhap News) Reporter Han Sang-kyun = President Lee Jae-myung presides over an open debate of the Security Council at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA on the 24th (local time). 2025.9.25 xyz@yna.co.kr

President Lee Jae-myung, who is visiting New York, USA to attend the UN General Assembly, met with US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations on the 24th (local time) to discuss tariff negotiations between South Korea and the US.

This is the second time President Lee has met with Secretary Besant. It has been about a month since their meeting on the occasion of the South Korea-US summit in Washington D.C. last month.

At the meeting, President Lee stated that "The South Korea-US relationship is very important as an alliance, and close cooperation between the two countries is crucial for the maintenance and development of the alliance, not only in security but also in economic aspects," said Kim Yong-beom, Senior Secretary to the President for Policy, during a briefing.

President Lee then requested, "Security cooperation consultations are proceeding well, and it is necessary for trade consultations to also be fruitful."

In particular, President Lee emphasized, "Regarding the US$350 billion investment package, I expect discussions to progress in a direction that aligns with the interests of both countries, based on commercial rationality."

He added, "Although there was a recent agreement between the US and Japan, South Korea differs from Japan in terms of its economic scale and foreign exchange market infrastructure," and expressed his hope that "negotiations will proceed well, taking these aspects into consideration."

Senior Secretary to the President Kim Yong-beom Briefing (New York=Yonhap News) Reporter Han Sang-kyun = Senior Secretary to the President for Policy Kim Yong-beom briefs on the meeting between President Lee Jae-myung and US Treasury Secretary Scott Besant at the UN Headquarters in New York, USA on the 24th (local time). 2025.9.25 xyz@yna.co.kr

In response, Secretary Besant stated, "The South Korea-US alliance is solid, and while there may be temporary and short-term difficulties, they can be fully overcome."

He added, "Korea's investment cooperation in the shipbuilding sector, which the US emphasizes as a core area, is very important, and we are grateful for the active support."

He also mentioned, "President Donald Trump is also well aware of how important South Korea is to the United States and has emphasized that 'Korea is a very important partner in the shipbuilding sector.'"

Regarding trade negotiations, Secretary Besant explained, "I understand there has been significant progress in the trade sector. I have fully listened to President Lee's remarks on investment cooperation and will discuss them thoroughly internally afterward." Yonhap News