Minister Ahn Duk-geun of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy will meet with Jamieson Greer, the U.S. Trade Representative, on the 16th in Jeju.
It has been three weeks since the then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Beeson held the 'Korea-U.S. 2+2 trade consultation' in Washington on the 24th of last month (local time). During the 2+2 consultation, Minister Ahn and Representative Greer agreed to hold ministerial-level consultations in Jeju on the 15th and 16th of this month on the occasion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Ministers' Meeting.
During this Korea-U.S. trade consultation, they will check the progress of ongoing working-level discussions between the two countries following the '2+2 consultation.'
Representative Greer stated in an interview with U.S. CNBC the day before that, 'I am going to Korea this afternoon and plan to meet with the Korean Trade Minister (Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy) and the trade ministers of various Asian countries attending APEC for several days.'
Previously, Minister Ahn also spoke with reporters on the 26th of last month while on his way back, noting, 'While it is highly likely that the head of the trade negotiation office will attend the APEC meeting itself, there is also a good chance that I will attend the interim review meeting with the USTR on that occasion.'
Korea and the United States are currently conducting trade discussions aiming to conclude a 'July package' that comprehensively addresses bilateral trade issues by the deadline of July 9, when the 90-day tariff suspension proposed by the Trump administration expires.
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Beeson stated on the 13th (local time) at the U.S.-Saudi investment forum held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that, 'Korea is undergoing a government transition, but it has come with very good proposals before the election kicks into high gear.'