Anchor: South Korea and the United States have agreed to craft a package of deals on tariffs and economic cooperation by early July during their “two-plus-two” trade talks in Washington on Thursday. Given the exploratory nature of the talks, the two sides did not touch on sensitive issues, including the issue of defense cost sharing. 
Our Bae Joo-yon has more. 

Report: South Korea and the United States held trade negotiations on Thursday in Washington that saw the attendance of their top finance and trade officials. 

The government said that at the talks, the two sides reached a consensus that South Korea will prepare a package before July 8, when the 90-day grace period is set to end for the U.S. reciprocal tariffs.

In line with such efforts, the two sides are set to hold extensive talks on tariffs, nontariff measures, economic security, investment and foreign exchange policies.

The government said the two sides did not discuss the matter of how to share defense costs for U.S. Forces Korea, nor did they talk about whether to revise the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement or expand imports of U.S. beef. 

The allies apparently chose to avoid sensitive issues since Thursday’s talks only lasted around an hour and were exploratory in nature.

The government drew the line at rushing to an agreement, saying the aim of the trade talks was to lay the groundwork for future discussions. 

Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok said Seoul informed Washington that future negotiations could be affected by South Korea’s political situation, domestic trade laws and the need to cooperate with the National Assembly, and asked for its understanding.

Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described Thursday’s meeting as “very successful,” saying the U.S. may be moving faster than he thought and that the two sides will discuss technical terms as early as next week. 

Observers say Seoul and Washington are expected to reach comprehensive agreements on trade and finance once South Korea’s new government comes to power. 
Bae Joo-yon, KBS World Radio News.