[Inside Chodong] In U.S.-Korea Trade Talks, There Should Be No Partisanship in Defending National Interests

U.S.-Korea trade negotiations are escalating into a political controversy. The catalyst was a remark by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant, who is leading tariff negotiations with Korea. At an event promoting President Trump's 100-day economic achievements, Besant addressed concerns about potential delays in concluding negotiations with Asian countries, stating that "Korea and Japan also want to reach successful agreements with us before the presidential election." This statement directly contradicted the Korean government's explanation that "final decisions will be made by the next administration." The controversy intensified as it coincided with the presidential candidacy of former Acting President and Prime Minister Han Duksoo. The Ministry of Economy and Finance issued a press release early the same morning denying the remarks, but the situation quickly escalated into a dispute over the truth.

At the plenary session of the National Assembly's Strategy and Finance Committee held the following day, opposition lawmakers directed loud criticism and accusations at Choi Sangmok, former Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Economy and Finance. Although Choi explained that the remarks were merely political rhetoric aimed at promoting Trump's economic achievements, lawmakers pushed back even more strongly. They pressed him on "why the government negotiation team is moving so quickly and what the intention is," and accused the team of "prioritizing a particular political party over the national interest." Some even raised suspicions that "former Acting President Han may have used the negotiation team for his own election campaign."

Although the situation has settled for now, government officials feel uneasy about the incident. There are concerns that even if they negotiate diligently and in good faith, it could be misconstrued as being "for Han Duksoo's election." One official at the Ministry of Economy and Finance commented, "With the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) effectively nullified, we are in a position where the acting government's negotiation team must negotiate with a superpower over vital national interests," adding, "At a time when bipartisan support is needed more than ever, politicians are focusing solely on political attacks, which is disappointing."

Trade negotiations require cooperation among the ruling party, opposition parties, and the administration. Major contentious issues that have significant impacts on industries must go through reporting to the National Assembly or ratification procedures under the Trade Procedure Act. Depending on the issue, additional steps such as impact assessments, cost estimates, and domestic industry support measures are also necessary. Domestic negotiations to minimize conflicts among stakeholders?including business groups, labor unions, academia, and experts?are also challenging. One official remarked, "In trade negotiations, 90 percent of the work is actually negotiating with domestic stakeholders, not foreign parties," and added, "Domestic negotiations are so long-term and complex that they can determine the ultimate outcome of the talks."

Even with a new administration, some degree of overlap between the outgoing and incoming governments is inevitable in the context of U.S.-Korea negotiations. With the June 3 early presidential election, it will take more than two months for the new government to be inaugurated, the cabinet to be formed, and the relevant ministers to be confirmed through parliamentary hearings. Even if the process is expedited, it will be the end of July at the earliest. By then, the mutual tariff suspension deadline of July 8 will have already passed. It is unrealistic for a new government, launched immediately after the election without a transition period, to jump straight into negotiations with the U.S. the very next day. Taking the political schedule into account, the negotiation team aims to finalize the framework of the talks by July 8 as the primary target, and then hand over the comprehensive agreement to the new administration.

Those with power always have the upper hand in negotiations. Moreover, bilateral negotiations on specific issues, as opposed to multilateral ones, are even more challenging for the weaker party. The political sphere must put an end to partisan strife and work in a bipartisan manner so that the next administration and the National Assembly, which will lead negotiations after the election, can coordinate trade policy directions together. Attempts to use matters of national interest as political tools cannot be tolerated. There is no ruling or opposition party when it comes to protecting the national interest.