South Korea's top trade official has pledged to pursue pragmatic, mutually beneficial negotiations focused on national interest in upcoming trade talks with the United States.

Yeo Han-koo made the remarks to reporters Sunday morning before departing for the United States from Incheon International Airport.

The chief trade negotiator said that since this will be the first meeting between the trade chiefs of both nations following the launch of the Lee Jae Myung administration, it is important to provide a detailed explanation of the new government's policy direction.

Yeo is scheduled to visit Washington, D.C. from Sunday through Friday to meet with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and other senior officials to discuss tariffs and other trade issues.

Before the launch of the Lee administration, Seoul and Washington had agreed to finalize a "July package" by July 8 and have continued negotiations toward that goal.