New Chief of Trade Negotiation Headquarters Yeohan Gu delivers his inaugural speech at a ceremony held at the Government Sejong Center Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Dec. 12./Courtesy of Yonhap

Yeohangu, the new Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy, emphasized, "We will expand and reorganize the task force for negotiations with the U.S. to encompass trade, industry, and energy."

During the inauguration ceremony held at the Government Sejong Center on the 12th, Deputy Minister Yeoh noted, "Now is the time for significant industrial and trade policies to boost our industrial competitiveness in areas such as AI semiconductors, biotechnology, automobiles, and energy transition to create synergy."

Deputy Minister Yeoh emphasized, "We will establish a full-scale response system for the U.S.-Korea negotiations and accelerate the serious 'shuttle negotiations' at the ministerial level between Korea and the U.S.," adding that, "We will elevate our chief negotiator from the current Director General level to the first-class level."

Furthermore, Deputy Minister Yeoh said, "Reflecting the new government's national philosophy which has secured democratic legitimacy and mandate, we will accelerate the serious shuttle negotiations between Korea and the U.S. starting now," and added, "Through this, we will establish a structural framework for mutual benefit in Korea-U.S. industrial, trade, and investment cooperation over the next five years." He also noted, "I will do my best to achieve practical negotiation outcomes centered on national interest."

Deputy Minister Yeoh also mentioned "Korea is back," emphasizing, "As much as Korea needs the U.S., the U.S. also needs Korea. We will negotiate firmly to create a mutually beneficial partnership."

Meanwhile, having previously served as the head of the trade negotiation office during the Moon Jae-in administration, he has been appointed again as the head of the trade negotiation office under the Lee Jae-myung administration. Notably, he took office just 27 days ahead of the U.S. tariff imposition date (July 9), and given that President Trump revealed he plans to send tariff-related letters to various countries in ten days from the 11th, it seems he will soon be at the tariff negotiation table.