Industry Minister Kim Jung‑kwan said mutual understanding with the United States has improved and "unnecessary misunderstandings" have been resolved following talks with United States Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over Washington's renewed tariff threats.

Kim made the comments to reporters Saturday at Incheon International Airport after returning from a trip to the United States.

The minister said he made clear during the meeting that Seoul has no intention of delaying or failing to implement the tariff agreement.

According to Kim, U.S. officials expressed disappointment that the South Korean parliament has yet to approve a bill tied to Seoul's pledged investments in the United States, despite Washington lowering reciprocal and auto tariffs last year, adding that he explained the delay stems from domestic legislative scheduling.

Kim noted that the United States has already begun the process of raising tariffs and is preparing to publish the measures in the Federal Register but emphasized that further internal discussions and a video conference are planned before a final decision is made.

He also dismissed speculation that the tariff issue was linked to investigations into a Coupang data breach or discussions on digital trade regulations, saying those topics never came up.

Kim met with Lutnick in Washington for more than an hour on Wednesday and held an additional two‑hour discussion the following day.