South Korea's trade chief wages broad lobbying push in Washington over tariffs, digital rules

Yeo Han-koo, South Korea's chief trade negotiator at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, launched a broad trade diplomacy offensive targeting the US administration, Congress and major technology companies to address concerns over US Section 301 tariff measures and South Korea's domestic digital regulations.

The ministry said Saturday that Yeo visited Washington, D.C., from Tuesday to Friday (local time) for in-depth discussions with senior US administration officials, lawmakers and industry representatives on bilateral trade issues.

During the visit, Yeo met with 10 US senators and representatives — including Sen. Bill Hagerty and Rep. Adrian Smith, chair of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade — and made clear that South Korea's domestic digital laws and policies do not discriminate against American companies.

He particularly stressed that South Korea is one of the largest investors in the United States and underscored the need for bilateral cooperation in key industries including semiconductors, shipbuilding and energy. He also called on Congress to actively support efforts to strengthen the mutually beneficial economic relationship between the two countries.

Yeo also joined a delegation of South Korean lawmakers from the Korea-US Inter-Parliamentary Union — led by Rep. Shin Dong-hoon and including Reps. Bae Jun-young, Jo Jeong-hun and Cha Ji-ho — for joint meetings with Sen. Steve Daines and Rep. Brad Schneider, conveying both sides' commitment to strengthening the bilateral relationship.

In separate meetings with major US digital companies including Google, Apple, AWS and Qualcomm, Yeo again made clear that South Korean government policies do not treat American firms unfairly.

Earlier in the visit, Yeo met with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Tuesday — ahead of the legal expiration deadline that Friday for the global 10 percent tariff imposed under Section 122 of US trade law — to confirm Washington's plans for future measures, including any Section 301 investigation.

At that meeting, Yeo conveyed Seoul's position that the balance of benefits under the Korea-US tariff agreement must be consistently maintained.