Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan shakes hands with Secretary of Commerce Howard Rutnik in a meeting room at the Department of Commerce in Washington D.C. on July 24th last year (local time). 2025.7.25 [Photo=Yonhap News]

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Kim Jung-kwan met with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Rutnik in Washington D.C. on the 29th (local time) to discuss the issue of re-imposing tariffs, but no agreement was reached during the meeting.

Minister Kim arrived at the Department of Commerce building in Washington D.C. around 5 p.m. on the same day, had a meeting with Secretary Rutnik, and then left the building around 6:24 p.m. 

Meeting with reporters immediately after the talks, Minister Kim stated, "We had many discussions and have agreed to meet again tomorrow morning," adding, "A conclusion has not yet been reached."

When asked if the U.S. re-imposition of tariffs had been blocked, he replied, "It is not at the stage where we can say it has been blocked or not." He also drew a line, saying, "We did not discuss specific procedures or the schedule for publication in the official gazette."

It is reported that Minister Kim explained during these consultations that South Korea is maintaining its commitment to implement investments in the U.S. in accordance with the ROK-U.S. trade agreement and sought to persuade the U.S. not to re-impose tariffs.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the 26th (local time) that he would re-impose tariffs of 25%, the pre-trade agreement level, on various items such as Korean automobiles, lumber, and pharmaceuticals, as well as other reciprocal tariffs. President Trump cited South Korea's National Assembly's failure to ratify the trade agreement as the reason for the re-imposition of tariffs.

Secretary Rutnik, who is trusted by President Trump, is leading the U.S. administration's tariff policy and trade negotiations.

It is reported that he also publicly mentioned South Korea's implementation of the trade agreement in his congratulatory remarks at the 'Lee Kun-hee Collection' gala event hosted by Samsung Electronics in Washington D.C. the previous day.

As no conclusion was reached in the ROK-U.S. talks on this day, further ministerial-level consultations are expected to continue.