U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has suggested that the outcome of the U.S.-Japan trade negotiations has put pressure on South Korea to make a deal with the U.S.

Lutnick mentioned the situation on Thursday during an interview with CNBC, saying that like Europe, South Korea very much wants to make a deal. 

The secretary said, speaking figuratively, that “you could hear the expletives out of Korea when they read the Japanese deal” because the South Korean and Japanese negotiators stared at each other.

Lutnick continued that it was easy to imagine what the South Korean negotiators were thinking and that “of course” they would be in his office for talks on Thursday. 

The remarks seem intended to put pressure on South Korea by using the results of the U.S.-Japan negotiations as leverage, pointing out that South Korea and Japan are competing to send their exports to the U.S. market.