Yeo Han-koo, who led Korea-US tariff talks, dismissed from trade post

Yeo Han-koo, chief trade negotiator at South Korea's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, has been dismissed from his post.

Cheong Wa Dae decided to remove Yeo and notified the ministry on Friday, according to Yonhap.

The move is being described as unusual. It comes amid a stack of unresolved trade issues with the United States, with Yeo having been directly involved in working-level negotiations.

A ministry official confirmed that Yeo had been dismissed by executive order and that the ministry received notification from Cheong Wa Dae on Friday.

Yeo previously served as director-general for trade policy and chief trade negotiator under the Moon Jae-in administration. He returned to the chief negotiator role when the Lee Jae Myung government took office and has since led Korea-US tariff negotiations.

"It was the decision of the appointing authority, so we do not know the specific reasons behind it," a ministry official said. "We will do our best to ensure there is no disruption to ongoing work."