A foreign policy adviser to Democratic Party presidential candidate Lee Jae-myung has met with senior White House officials and conveyed Lee’s stance that more time is needed for bilateral trade negotiations.
 
The adviser, Kim Hyun-chong, summarized the outcome of the meeting for KBS on Thursday in front of the White House in Washington. 

As for the talks on tariffs and other issues, the former trade minister said he told the U.S. side that in light of the free trade agreement between the two countries, the two sides should work together to craft a solution that the Asian ally can accept.

In the meeting, Kim said he stressed the importance of the South Korea-U.S. alliance and the need to strengthen both the bilateral alliance and the trilateral alliance with Japan. 

Kim said the two sides discussed the North Korea issue and that the U.S. condemned the North’s latest ballistic missile launch. 

The adviser said he explained his party’s security and foreign policy direction to the U.S. side and listened to what the U.S. expects from South Korea, adding that the dialogue went well and was an opportunity for both sides to fully understand each other.