Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sangmok: "Secretary Besant's Remarks Intended for U.S. Domestic Audience... Requested Clarification on Background"

Choi Sangmok, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, commented on April 30 regarding the remarks made by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant about trade negotiations, stating, "I understood that his comments were intended for domestic audiences during the press conference marking the first 100 days of the Donald Trump administration," and added, "I was surprised, so I requested Secretary Besant to clarify the background of his remarks."

Choi Sangmok, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Economy and Finance, is attending the comprehensive policy questioning session of the supplementary budget review at the plenary meeting of the National Assembly's Special Committee on Budget and Accounts on April 29, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Choi made these comments in response to Park Honggeun, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea, who pointed out at the plenary session of the National Assembly's Planning and Finance Committee on April 30 that Secretary Besant's remarks contradicted those of the Korean government.

On April 29 (local time), in response to reporters' questions suggesting that trade negotiations were not progressing quickly due to the election schedules in Korea and Japan, Secretary Besant said, "On the contrary," and added, "I believe these countries want to complete the framework for trade negotiations before their elections."

He stated, "The Korean government wants to demonstrate that it successfully led negotiations with the United States by establishing a trade agreement framework before the presidential election," and further argued that if Korea concludes trade negotiations before the election, the current government will be able to campaign on that achievement.

Deputy Prime Minister Choi explained, "If you look at Secretary Besant's original English remarks, he did not refer only to Korea, but grouped Korea, Japan, and Canada together," and added, "More than 20 working-level officials were present at the meeting with Secretary Besant, so what we conveyed was nothing more than that." He also said, "There is no reason to conclude tariff negotiations before the presidential election."