Anchor: Foreign Minister Cho Hyun has disclosed that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told him there is negative sentiment in Washington regarding South Korea’s delay in following through with its trade commitments. Cho said he conveyed that there have been no intentional delays on domestic legislation tied to the allies’ trade and investment deal.
Rosyn Park has more.

Report: Foreign Minister Cho Hyun says Secretary of State Marco Rubio imparted the Trump administration’s dissatisfaction with South Korea’s delayed implementation of the bilateral trade pact reached last year.

At a news conference at the South Korean Embassy in Washington on Thursday, Cho told reporters he made it clear to his American counterparts that Seoul is not intentionally delaying legislation tied to a special bill on U.S.-bound investments.

[Sound bite: Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (Korean-English)]
“Secretary Rubio stated that while U.S.-South Korea relations are not in a bad state, he wanted to frankly share that the internal atmosphere within the U.S. regarding the implementation of the trade agreement is not favorable. In response, I explained that our commitment to implementing the trade agreement is firm, and that it is absolutely not true we are intentionally slowing down the legislative process or doing anything of the sort. I also shared our government’s efforts and internal moves to expedite the implementation of the bilateral trade agreement.”

In July 2025, Seoul and Washington reached a deal to lower U.S. tariffs on South Korean goods from 25 percent to 15 percent in exchange for a promise from Seoul to invest 350 billion dollars in the U.S. and purchase 100 billion dollars’ worth of American energy products.

But last week U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to raise the tariffs back to 25 percent, since the National Assembly has yet to pass the bill to greenlight the investment.

Cho said he also spoke with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on the sidelines of this week’s critical minerals meeting to further explain the current situation.

According to Cho, Greer said he understood the impact of increased tariffs on South Korean goods but called on Seoul to demonstrate progress quickly regarding both strategic investments in the U.S. and the reduction of nontariff barriers.

Cho added that he also met with members of Congress to ask for their support for civil nuclear, nuclear submarine and shipbuilding cooperation.

Amid mounting pressure from Trump’s threat, Cho said that although the internal climate in Washington is not good, Seoul will continue to seek a resolution through close communication between diplomatic authorities.
Rosyn Park, KBS World Radio News.