S. Korea "will not fight" but aim for deal with Washington, as top trade officials meet in D.C. this week

South Korea's finance and trade officials are sitting down with their U.S. counterparts this week to hold the country's first tariff talks since Washington put its wide range of levies against its trading partners on hold.

Acting President Han Duck-soo has made it clear South Korea will not be fighting but aiming for a 'win-win' arrangement.

Oh Soo-young reports.

South Korea will not fight but try to make a deal with the United States over Donald Trump's tariffs, as top trade officials meet in Washington this week.

Seoul officials confirmed on Sunday that high-level consultations will take place.,

with Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok and Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun flying out to D.C. for a so-called "2+2" consultation.

They will meet with their U.S. counterparts Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of the IMF–World Bank Spring Meetings.

The bilateral was first proposed by the U.S., after the Trump Administration decided to delay its reciprocal tariffs, including a 25 percent duty on South Korean goods.

The wide-ranging tariffs were paused for 90 days, after panic in U.S markets, wiped out five-point-four trillion dollars in just 48 hours.

Shortly before implementing the pause, the U.S. President held a half-hour phone call with Acting President Han Duck-soo, and ordered officials to prioritize deals with allied countries like South Korea and Japan, projecting optimism that a "great deal" could be made.

In an interview with the Financial Times published Sunday, Han said Seoul would not fight the U.S. over its tariffs, but hinted there could be concessions, for a win-win deal between the long-term allies.

He suggested South Korea could increase purchases of U.S. liquefied natural gas and commercial aircraft, and that cooperation in naval shipbuilding could help America in strengthening alliances.

Han further said Seoul could discuss non-tariff barriers, pointing to existing U.S. concerns about auto emissions regulations, pharma pricing, beef imports, and network fees imposed on platforms like Netflix.

It's unclear whether the cost of keeping U.S. soldiers in South Korea will be raised during the session.

While Trump has indicated he'd like a "one-stop shopping" deal combining trade and defense issues into a single package, Seoul officials are prioritizing trade talks to tackle tariffs,.. keeping security matters separate.

The government has described the meeting as a "consultation," not a "negotiation," signaling a measured approach.

The agenda and the schedule of this week's meeting are still being finalized.

On whether the U.S. leader might appear at the meeting in person, as he did unexpectedly during talks with Japan last week, South Korea's trade minister said Sunday that Seoul is preparing for such a scenario.

Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.