Wi Seong-lak, Deputy Minister of National Security at the Presidential Office, said on the 9th regarding the tariff negotiations with the United States and the demand for an increase in defense cost sharing, "The issues we raised encompass trade, investment, the purchase of American goods, and overall security, so we conveyed the opinion that we should advance discussions comprehensively considering this package." He noted that National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Mark Rubio expressed agreement.
The Deputy Minister, after visiting Washington, D.C., for a two-night, four-day itinerary to discuss key issues between the two countries, returned on the same afternoon and announced the results at the Presidential Office. The Deputy Minister stated, "The letter from President Trump seems to have been written mainly around tariffs and non-tariff barriers."
Minister Rubio responded to the Deputy Minister's proposal, stating, "The letter from President Trump was uniformly sent to countries with which no trade agreement has been reached ahead of the July 9 effective date for the reciprocal tariff," and added, "We have time until before Aug. 1 for an agreement, so let’s communicate closely to achieve consensus during this period between Korea and the U.S."
At the meeting, the Deputy Minister explained to Minister Rubio, "I have described the efforts our government has made on current issues in a short period of just over a month since the new government took office," and emphasized, "It would be good for both sides to work together to develop the alliance and strengthen trust, even if there are differences on current issues." He also proposed holding a Korea-U.S. summit, stating, "Let’s have a Korea-U.S. summit as soon as possible and create mutually beneficial agreements on all related issues, which Minister Rubio also agreed with."
This Korea-U.S. security meeting was held on the 7th (local time), the day President Trump sent a letter to President Lee Jae-myung outlining the imposition of a 25% reciprocal tariff effective from Aug. 1. The letter included phrases such as, "Unfortunately, the current (Korea-U.S.) relations are not mutually beneficial," and "From August 1, 2025, we will impose a 25% tariff in addition to item-specific tariffs on all products exported from Korea to the United States." Thus, while the 25% reciprocal tariff rate expected to take effect from the 9th of this month is maintained, its implementation has been postponed by approximately three weeks.