Seoul says it's 'game time' with less than 3 weeks for U.S. tariff negotiations

The clock is winding down with U.S. tariffs set to kick in on August 1st.

South Korea's top trade negotiator faced the media earlier, saying that negotiations have made progress.

Meanwhile, the U.S. says all this is not a bluff, while touting the measures so far.

Our Kim Do-yeon reports.

With less than three weeks to go before sweeping U.S. tariffs take effect, South Korea's Trade Minister Yeo Han-gu says negotiations with Washington have entered what he calls "game time."

Speaking to reporters Monday at the Sejong Government Complex, Yeo stressed, "With under 20 days left, it's now a time for choices and decisions."

He added that Seoul is ramping up give-and-take talks to find a "landing zone," aiming to secure a broad package deal.

Yeo also touched on a sensitive topic for the country.

The agricultural industry.

Free trade talks, not just with the U.S. but with any other partners, he said is always "painful."

This is expected as the U.S. is demanding the lowering of trade barriers.

Yeo, however, underscored the need for strategic judgment as despite the pain for the agro-sector, Korea's industry as a whole has taken steps forward so far from trade deals made in the past.

Meanwhile, Seoul continues to call out what it sees as unfair U.S. tariffs already hitting Korean exports — including 50 percent duties on steel and 25 percent on cars.

But this all comes as U.S. President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on trade partners after he touted the effects of tariffs so far on Sunday, local time.

"We have tariffs pouring in at levels that we have never seen before — and they've only just started."

Over the past week, Trump sent letters to 25 countries, notifying them of blanket tariff rates ---Korea, Japan and Malaysia at 25-percent; 30 percent for Mexico and the European Union; and 50 percent for Brazil ---reportedly due to stalled negotiations.

"These are countries that have been shut to us, but we've been open to them. In other words, they wouldn't let us do business there, but they would do business in our country. Not a fair deal."

In an interview with ABC News, White House economic chief Kevin Hassett warned the tariffs are "not just a negotiating tactic."

He said if Trump doesn't get the deals he considers strong enough, "the tariffs will be real," adding that the president was dissatisfied with some of the "sketches of deals" his own team had put forward.

Kim Do-yeon, Arirang News.