D-1 to U.S. tariffs showdown: Seoul mobilizes gov't and business community

We are now just a day away from the final tariff talks between Seoul and Washington.

From government officials to economic heavyweights, Team Korea is all in for the final push to strike a deal.

Our Choi Soo-hyung reports.

With just one day left before final tariff talks with the U.S., the South Korean government and business community are mounting an all-out effort.

After Hanwha Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan and Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong left for Washington, D.C., Hyundai Motor Group's chairman Chung Eui-sun flew out on Wednesday, Korean Time.

Chung leads the world's third-largest automaker and, in March this year, announced a massive 21-billion-dollar investment in the U.S. with the Trump administration.

Hanwha's Kim is expected to push for a Korea-proposed shipbuilding cooperation project, while Samsung's Lee is focusing on expanding semiconductor investments and strengthening technology partnerships.

Samsung Electronics will have already invested more than 37 billion dollars in the U.S. by 2030, and is building a semiconductor foundry in Texas.

These bargaining chips, aligned with Washington's semiconductor revival strategy, could give Korea an edge at the negotiating table.

In Washington, D.C., Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Tuesday, local time, for about two hours.

The meeting with Lutnick comes just ahead of final negotiations scheduled with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on July 31, widening communication channels between the two sides.

Also on July 31, Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington to propose concrete initiatives in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, as a third pillar of Korea-U.S. cooperation, alongside their security alliance and Free Trade Agreement.

After the latest talks, the Presidential Office said President Lee Jae Myung was briefed on the same day and responded that the country will seek a beneficial deal with the U.S. under the principle of prioritizing national interests, while keeping the terms within Korea's limits.

Korea's top priority in the deals is cutting the 25 percent "reciprocal" tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on automobiles and related parts, alongside a 50 percent tariff on steel, and new duties on key exports such as semiconductors.

With Japan and the EU already getting tariffs down to 15 percent, including on autos, pressure is mounting on export-dependent Korea.

Seoul's best-case scenario is a full tariff exemption, but given other countries' results, cutting tariffs to 15 percent is seen as the most realistic one.

With autos, South Korea's biggest exports to the U.S., any deal above 15 percent could leave manufacturers trailing Japan and Europe, casting doubt on the negotiations success.

Choi Soo-hyung, Arirang News.