The government held a public hearing in Seoul on Monday to gather feedback on the potential economic impact of U.S. tariff demands as bilateral trade negotiations continue.

Officials and stakeholders from the agriculture, tech and manufacturing sectors voiced concerns, particularly over U.S. pressure to ease restrictions on beef imports and lift the ban on exporting Google’s detailed mapping data.

Government representatives stressed that while South Korea runs a trade deficit in goods, the U.S. enjoys surpluses in services and agriculture, and vowed to protect sensitive sectors such as livestock.

Analysts warned that loosening beef import rules could reignite public fears over mad cow disease, potentially hurting current U.S. beef sales.

The Korea Institute for International Economic Policy predicted that a failure to reach a deal could reduce South Korea’s gross domestic product by up to zero-point-four percent, while a successful outcome could boost it by as much as zero-point-75 percentage point.

Some participants urged greater transparency, asking the government to disclose U.S. nontariff demands, but officials cautioned that revealing negotiation details could harm the national interest.