Anchor: President Lee Jae Myung says cementing Seoul's trade deal with Washington, in its current form, could be disastrous for South Korea. In an interview with Reuters released Monday, the president said investing 350 billion dollars in cash in the U.S. economy without a currency swap could spark a meltdown rivaling its 1997 financial crisis.
Kim Bum-soo has more. 

Report: President Lee Jae Myung says South Korea's economy could fall into a financial crisis if the government were to resolve stalled trade talks by acquiescing to the United States' current demands without safeguards in place.
 
Lee revealed his position in an interview with Reuters released on Monday.

[Sound bite: President Lee Jae Myung (Korean-English)]
“Without a currency swap, if we were to withdraw $350 billion in the manner that the U.S. is demanding and to invest this all in cash in the U.S., South Korea would face another IMF(International Monetary Fund) situation.”
 
Seoul and Washington are struggling to finalize their trade deal after reaching a rough accord in July in which the Trump administration would lower tariffs in return for 350 billion dollars in investment in the U.S.

While the two sides were negotiating their trade terms, a U.S. immigration raid of an under-construction joint Hyundai-LG factory in Georgia sparked outrage and disappointment in South Korea. 

[Sound bite: President Lee Jae Myung (Korean-English)]
“We see it as more an accidental incident born of the overzealousness of frontline agencies, a view underscored by the fact that President Trump allowed the Koreans either to return home freely or remain in the U.S. during the case. We regard it as the product of excessive zeal and performance-driven behaviour by the departments involved.”
  
Amid concerns that U.S. demand for direct investment could dramatically weaken the won, South Korea recently asked its ally to establish a bilateral currency swap arrangement.

Asked whether the ongoing tariff negotiations could extend into next year, Lee said that the two sides should end the unstable situation as soon as possible.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.