S. Korea fails to reach tariff deal with U.S. during trade talks on Thurs.

With time running out, high-level trade talks between Seoul and Washington have stalled, raising concerns over looming U.S. tariffs.

Our Moon Hye-ryeon starts us off.

With just a week remaining before the U.S. imposes reciprocal tariffs, South Korean and U.S. trade officials met in Washington, D.C. — but failed to reach a deal.

On Thursday local time, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and chief trade negotiator Yeo Han-koo held an hour-long meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

The meeting had originally been scheduled as a high-level session involving both countries' trade and finance ministers, but was abruptly changed after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent canceled due to scheduling conflicts.

South Korea's trade ministry said that Seoul proposed deepening cooperation in manufacturing in sectors such as shipbuilding, semiconductors and batteries — and urged that tariffs, especially on automobiles, be reduced.

Although the meeting ended without a solid deal, the ministry revealed that the two sides agreed to hold follow-up talks as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, South Korea's national security adviser Wi Sung-lac returned to Seoul on Thursday afternoon following a four-day visit to the U.S.

Wi said he met with several top officials and fully conveyed Seoul's position on the matter.

"I talked with key officials including National Security Advisor Marco Rubio, Deputy National Security Advisor Andy Baker, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to support upcoming working-level talks. The negotiation process is now underway."

According to the Presidential Office, Rubio was unable to attend their in-person meeting due to an unexpected call from President Trump, but the two held a phone consultation instead, during which Rubio apologized for the last-minute cancellation.

In the lead-up to the meeting, the U.S. turned up the pressure on Seoul by highlighting its trade deal with Japan that rolled back its tariffs from 25 percent to 15 percent.

Lutnick told CNBC in an interview that as South Korea "very, very much wants to make a deal," he could imagine the reactions when Tokyo struck a trade deal with Washington — saying that he could hear the "expletives."

Trump, on the same day, remarked that other countries could see tariff reductions if they make large-scale investments — like Japan.

With automobiles being a major export to the U.S. for both South Korea and Japan, there are concerns that Korean carmakers could be placed at a disadvantage if Seoul fails to secure a similar reduction in tariffs.

Looking ahead, Kim is set to meet with the Chair of the White House National Energy Council,

while Yeo will hold separate meetings with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to further discuss tariffs and energy cooperation.

Moon Hye-ryeon, Arirang News.