28-Minute Call at U.S. Request
Acting President Han: "Discussed Trade Balance and North Korea's Nuclear Issue"
The U.S. Donald Trump administration has begun full-scale negotiations with trading partners on whom it imposed high reciprocal tariffs, and our government has also taken active measures in response. The top priority in negotiations with the U.S. was to adjust tariff rates.
Prime Minister and Acting President Han Deok-soo had his first phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on the 8th, stating, "We hope that under the new U.S. administration, the ROK-U.S. alliance, which is the foundation of our diplomacy and security, will expand and strengthen further." The call between the two leaders started at 9:03 PM and ended at 9:31 PM the previous day, lasting about 28 minutes.
The call between the two leaders took place 78 days after President Trump’s inauguration on January 20 (U.S. local time). It is known that the call was arranged at the request of the U.S. side.
President Trump, who initiated a global tariff war, proposed comprehensive negotiations as a "one-stop shopping" approach that simultaneously addresses multiple issues such as tariffs and defense cost-sharing, focusing first on countries with large trade surpluses with the U.S., including South Korea and Japan, to quickly reduce the U.S. trade deficit.
A senior official from the Prime Minister’s Office told reporters at the Government Seoul Office on the 9th, "The call between the two leaders was conducted in an overall friendly atmosphere," adding, "They discussed trade balance between the two countries, economic cooperation related to energy, security cooperation, and North Korea policy, emphasizing that the two countries are mutually trustworthy partners." It was reported that Acting President Han highlighted a higher level of cooperation intention with the U.S. side in three major areas: shipbuilding, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and trade balance.
The senior official from the Prime Minister’s Office said, "Since the dialogue between the leaders took place, we will now prepare proposals for concrete talks and start negotiations on specific issues with the trade authorities." When asked about what was discussed regarding North Korea’s nuclear issue, the official replied, "They agreed on complete denuclearization."
Regarding the supplementary budget bill, the official added, "We are preparing a supplementary budget of about 10 trillion won for stabilizing people’s livelihoods and recovering from wildfire damage," and "We will prepare the government proposal soon and submit it to the National Assembly."
Meanwhile, President Trump had a 12-minute phone call with former President Yoon Seok-youl on November 7 last year, shortly after his election, discussing ROK-U.S.-Japan cooperation, the ROK-U.S. alliance, and North Korea’s situation in the Ukraine war. Although the two leaders agreed to meet soon, contact between the ROK and U.S. leaders was delayed due to the December 3 emergency martial law situation and the impeachment motion against former President Yoon.
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