Anchor: South Korean and U.S. trade officials wrapped up a second day of talks Friday in Washington in the third round of negotiations to revise the allies’ bilateral free trade agreement. With the talks originally planned for two days making little headway, the two sides have decided to continue unofficial negotiations into next week to discuss the FTA as well as U.S. steel tariffs.
Kim Soyon has more.

Report: The FTA revision talks have become even more complicated following the U.S. decision to impose stiff 25 percent tariffs on imported steel starting from March 23rd.

The two sides continued negotiations for a second day Friday at the U.S. Trade Representative’s office in Washington.

South Korea is represented by Yoo Myung-hee, the Trade Ministry’s director general for FTA negotiations while the U.S. side is led by Assistant Trade Representative Michael Beeman.

The U.S. urged South Korea to ease non-tariff trade barriers in the auto sector and toughen country-of-origin regulations, as it linked the FTA talks with Korea’s possible exemption from U.S. steel tariffs.

South Korea meanwhile asserted that the U.S. steel tariff and its safeguard measures on South Korean washing machines and solar panels are unfair, pushing for the revision of the investor-state dispute settlement(ISDS) clause.

Earlier, announcing the steel tariff decision, President Trump granted a temporary exemption on Canada and Mexico who are members of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

The move was seen as a way for the U.S. to secure an edge during NAFTA negotiations next month.

South Korea has been preparing for the FTA talks with the view that Washington may employ a similar tactic in its free trade negotiations with Seoul.

South Korean negotiators including Yoo Myung-hee and Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong will stay in Washington and continue unofficial trade talks into next week until they get results on gaining exemption from U.S. steel tariffs.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a briefing that talks are being held with individual countries concerning exemption from steel and aluminum tariffs.

She projected the talks to continue through next weekend.

In a press release, Seoul’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said the two sides were making progress through substantive discussions in the FTA talks and agreed on the need for swift progress. The ministry said the two sides will also continue talks regarding steel tariffs.
Kim Soyon, KBS World Radio News.