WASHINGTON -- US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Monday that South Korean officials had flown to Scotland to meet him for trade talks, as Seoul is striving to reach a tariff deal with the United States before this week's negotiation deadline.
The secretary made the remarks during a Fox News interview, apparently referring to Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo, who went to Scotland, where key US trade negotiators were accompanying President Donald Trump.
"Well, the South Koreans flew to Scotland to meet with me and Ambassador Greer after dinner," he said, referring to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. "I mean, think about how much they really want to get a deal done."
He was responding to a question about whether South Korea is "jealous of Japan," which has reached a trade deal with the US, and if the negotiations with Korea are "in the hopper."
Lutnick claimed that Trump is "in the driver's seat" in the midst of negotiations with trading partners.
"He's done these big deals. He's got really all the cards in front of him," the secretary said.
"As he said, he's going to decide what the tariff rate is, how much these countries are going to open their markets and what the tariff rate is, and that's what we're going to do this week."
Asked if some other deals will get done before the negotiation deadline Friday, Lutnick said it is "possible." He did not elaborate on those deals.
"I mean they are all set up. The way I say ... my job is to set the table for the president, and he decides what to do," he said.
Seoul has been making concerted efforts to reach a deal with the Trump administration before Friday, when the Trump administration's "reciprocal" tariffs, including 25 percent duties on South Korean goods, are set to take effect unless a deal is reached.
Industry Minister Kim and Trade Minister Yeo had talks with Lutnick in Washington on Thursday and in New York the following day before flying to Scotland.
In the hopes of finding a breakthrough, Seoul officials have proposed a large-scale investment initiative, dubbed "Make American Shipbuilding Great Again," as the Trump administration seeks to rebuild America's shipbuilding industry in the face of China's overwhelming shipbuilding capacity.
Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol is set to have consultations with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington on Thursday, while Foreign Minister Cho Hyun plans to visit the US capital for talks with Secretary of State Marco Rubio. (Yonhap)
