A senior presidential aide in charge of security said South Korea and the U.S. are unlikely to finalize a trade deal this week.

Oh Hyun-joo, the presidential office's third deputy director of national security, made the statement during a press event in Seoul on Monday ahead of the upcoming Gyeongju Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC), when asked about U.S. President Donald Trump's latest comment that the two sides were “pretty close” to finalizing a deal.

Oh said the two sides were not aiming to finish by the APEC summit or the meeting between President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Trump on Wednesday.

The spokesperson said that Seoul's envoys are focused on "commercial rationality" and "helping the South Korean economy."

Regarding security issues between Seoul and Washington, including defense cost sharing and the modernization of the alliance, Oh said she sees no hostility or major difference of opinion between the two sides.