S. Korea's minister of trade to hold high-level talks with Washington about its "Sensitive Countries

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Mar 202025

S. Korea's minister of trade to hold high-level talks with Washington about its "Sensitive Countries List" and tariffs 안덕근 "美민감국가서 삭제되도록 최대 노력 안되면 대안 마련" South Korea is pushing for negotiations amid potential new U.S. tariffs and restrictions on scientific collaboration. Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun is back in Washington for crucial talks. Our Moon Hye-ryeon reports. As the United States prepares to announce reciprocal tariffs next month, South Korea’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy has returned to Washington in an effort to secure Seoul’s removal from its recent designation into the U.S. Energy Department’s “Sensitive and Other Designated Countries List”. On Thursday, local time, Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun spoke to reporters about the government’s stance prior to beginning a series of high-level discussions. His first meeting is scheduled with the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Chris Wright. “Our priority is to seek South Korea’s removal from the “Sensitive and Other Designated Countries List”. If immediate removal is not possible, we will work on alternative solutions to ensure that this designation does not hinder scientific and industrial collaboration between our nations.” If South Korea remains on the list, new restrictions on research collaborations and visits to institutions affiliated with the U.S. Energy Department will take effect starting April 15. However, Ahn gave reassurance that Washington has indicated that the designation is not expected to have a significant impact on bilateral scientific cooperation. His visit comes at a crucial time, ahead of the new Trump administration’s anticipated tariff announcement on April 2nd, and securing a favorable position is another key objective for talks. This marks Ahn’s second trip to Washington in just three weeks, following discussions with the U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick last month, and they are due to meet again. "The Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has effectively eliminated tariffs between our two countries. However, non-tariff barriers have emerged as a concern. We are actively addressing these issues domestically and will communicate our progress to our U.S. counterparts." U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent recently identified the so-called “Dirty 15” – a group of countries with significant tariffs on U.S. goods – as targets for the upcoming tariff measures. When asked whether South Korea could be included, Ahn stated it was too early to tell, and emphasized that South Korea already imports most U.S. goods without tariffs under the Free Trade Agreement between Seoul and Washington. Regarding a potential exemption from the new tariffs, the Trade Minister explained that there haven’t been many cases where specific countries were granted exemptions – and it appears that the measures will be implemented first before adjustments can be made. He added that ongoing communication and negotiations will be needed to shape the trade framework between the two allies. Moon Hye-ryeon, Arirang News. #Trump_administration #AhnDukgeun #Sensitive_and_Other_Designated_Countries_List #US_Energy_Department #안덕근 #민감국가리스트 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : / arirangtvnews 📣 Twitter : / arirangtvnews 📣 Homepage : https://arirang.com/ 2025-03-21, 10:00 (KST)