28-Minute Phone Call at U.S. Request
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 adjusting tariff rates.
Prime Minister and Acting President Han Deok-su had his first phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on the 8th, stating, "I hope that under the new U.S. administration, the Korea-U.S. alliance, which is the foundation of our diplomacy and security, will further expand and strengthen." 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 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 a generally 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." In particular, Acting President Han reportedly highlighted a higher level of willingness to cooperate with the U.S. 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 discussions and start negotiations on each issue 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, 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."
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