US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he will meet a South Korean trade delegation in the afternoon to listen to their "offer to buy down" the proposed 25 percent "reciprocal" tariffs.
Trump made the remarks in a social media post as South Korean negotiators are striving to reach a trade deal with his administration before Friday, when the steep reciprocal tariffs are set to take effect unless an agreement is reached.
"I will be meeting with the South Korean Trade Delegation this afternoon," he wrote on Truth Social. "South Korea is right now at a 25% Tariff, but they have an offer to buy down those Tariffs. I will be interested in hearing what that offer is."
In 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.
South Korea's Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo are currently in Washington.
They have held rounds of talks with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick this week, while Koo and Yeo are scheduled to meet Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Thursday. (Yonhap)
