Yeo Han-koo, South Korea's chief trade negotiator, has departed for the United States to address Washington's concerns over South Korea's newly enacted anti-fake news legislation, which has recently emerged as a bilateral trade issue.

Speaking to reporters before his departure at Incheon International Airport on Sunday, Yeo said he aimed to assess U.S. government and industry sentiment ahead of an imminent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on reciprocal tariffs and to explain the policy intent behind South Korea's new law.

He said the visit was intended to prevent misunderstandings on the United States side.

The U.S. State Department recently voiced strong concerns that the revised Information and Communications Network Act could infringe on freedom of expression and negatively affect American online platform companies, including Google.

The law targets the spread of false or manipulated information online, covering news outlets as well as major digital platforms. It allows courts to impose punitive damages of up to five times the proven harm when media organizations or large online channels are found to have intentionally disseminated fabricated content for profit or to cause damage.

Yeo said he plans to listen closely to U.S. concerns while actively explaining that the legislation is neither discriminatory nor an unnecessary trade barrier and will conduct outreach to U.S. trade officials, lawmakers and industry groups.