Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Lee Chang-yang said that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo expressed her intent to address Seoul's concerns over the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act(IRA).

The minister made the remarks on Monday while briefing reporters on the results of his recent trip to the United States and Canada. 

Minister Lee said that when he met with Secretary Raimondo last week, he could see that the secretary fully sympathized with the concerns raised by South Korea regarding the IRA and had an intent to resolve the issue.

Lee said the biggest achievement of his trip appeared to be the confirmation of the U.S.' willingness to make an effort toward accepting the concerns raised by Seoul.    

The minister said the commerce secretary also promised to consult with South Korea regarding the so-called guardrail provisions of the semiconductor CHIPS and Science Act. The new provisions are aimed at strengthening U.S. competitiveness, in part by limiting the availability of advanced technology to China and other federally designated "countries of concern."