Top trade officials of S. Korea, U.S. to hold technical talks on tariffs next week in U.S.

Moving on.

Top trade officials from South Korea and the U.S. met in Jeju this afternoon on the margins of APEC trade talks, amid the Trump administration's tariff campaign.

As a result, more consultations are slated for next week in Washington, focusing on six areas, including non-tariff measures.

Our correspondent Bae Eun-ji has the details.

South Korea's Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met on Jeju Island on Friday, and agreed to hold technical talks on tariffs next week in Washington D.C.

The meeting, held on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation trade ministers' meeting hosted by South Korea, comes as both countries have been working to produce a package of deals aimed at removing new U.S. tariffs before the July 8th deadline, when the 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs is lifted.

"We have 50 days until the negotiation due date set by the U.S. government. Under the acting president, the South Korean government has been making efforts through inter-governmental cooperation and gathering opinions from industry stakeholders."

Ahn explained that next week's talks will be focused on six key areas: balanced trade, non-tariff measures, economic security, digital trade, country of origin, and commercial considerations.

Friday's meeting follows the two officials' meeting three weeks ago in Washington,.. where South Korea requested exemptions from reciprocal tariffs, while offering cooperation on shipbuilding and energy.

In fact,.. prior to his meeting with Ahn, Greer met with the CEOs of South Korea's leading shipbuilding companies: HD Hyundai and Hanwha Ocean, to discuss cooperation.

South Korea, which faces 25-percent U.S. reciprocal tariffs, hopes to leverage its shipbuilding capabilities in upcoming tariff negotiations, after the Trump administration reportedly showed great interest in this field as it seeks to revive the American shipbuilding industry.

"As Seoul works to tackle trade uncertainties from Trump's tariffs, eyes are now on whether South Korea and the U.S will be able to make further progress during their talks next week.

Bae Eun-ji, Arirang News, Jeju."