Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok said on the way to a departure on the 22nd ahead of trade talks with the United States, “I will open the door to discussions that will renew the Korea-U.S. alliance and return.”
Deputy Prime Minister Choi noted this to reporters before departing to attend the Group of 20 (G20) finance ministers' meeting and the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) held in Washington, D.C., from the 23rd to the 25th (local time).
On the upcoming 24th, Deputy Prime Minister Choi will participate in the Korea-U.S. 2+2 trade discussions with Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun. The counterpart will be U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bensinger and United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer.
This meeting was initiated by the U.S. side. The government defined this occasion as a consultation rather than a negotiation. It is interpreted as focusing on a consultation to explore each other's requirements rather than a negotiation with specific demands being exchanged.