South Korea and the United States have entered the final stage of trade negotiations, with discussions on tariffs and trade issues gaining momentum.

On Thursday afternoon, South Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan met with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick at the Department of Commerce's headquarters in Washington.

Also present were Kim Yong-beom, the top office's director of national policy, and Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo.

The high-level meeting comes amid a prolonged deadlock over the structure of Seoul's 350 billion U.S. dollar investment pledge to Washington.

Attention is now focused on whether the two sides can strike a final agreement ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Gyeongju later this month, which is expected to coincide with a visit by U.S. President Donald Trump.