Anchor: With the presidential election in South Korea just over a month away and the acting president widely expected to run, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s remarks at a news conference have drawn attention. Bessent suggested that Seoul wants to make a deal to gain a campaign advantage, but the South Korean government immediately denied this is the case.
Kim Bum-soo has more.  

Report: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the contours of a trade deal with South Korea are now emerging. 

In a press briefing at the White House to mark the Trump administration’s first 100 days on Tuesday, Bessent touched upon the ongoing negotiations with Seoul. 

[Sound bite: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent]
“I could see the contours of a deal with the Republic of Korea coming together. And then we’ve had substantial talks with the Japanese.”

The U.S. treasury secretary also argued that South Korea wants to get the deal done ahead of the upcoming presidential election, in hopes of a campaign advantage.

[Sound bite: U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent]
(Reporter: I wanted to ask about South Korea, specifically. They’ve said that they probably won’t be able to make a comprehensive deal until early July because of their elections. Japan also has elections …”)
“These governments actually want to have the framework of a trade deal done before they go into elections to show that they have successfully negotiated with the United States. So we are finding that they are actually much more keen to come to the table, get this done, and then go home and campaign on it.”

Acting President Han Duck-soo is widely expected to run in the June 3 election, and his critics suspect he is taking advantage of his temporary leadership status to strengthen an as-yet-unannounced bid.

With Han put in an awkward position, the finance ministry in Seoul immediately contradicted Bessent’s comments in a statement, saying no such message was conveyed to the U.S. when the two sides met in Washington last week. 

The ministry said that during the recent “two-plus-two” trade talks, Seoul only asked the U.S. to consider South Korea’s political situation and the need to communicate with the National Assembly during future negotiations.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.