South Korean official eyes trade, security on US visit

SEOUL — South Korea's national security adviser is headed for Washington, authorities said on Sunday, with less than two weeks to go until US President Donald Trump's Aug 1 deadline to secure a trade deal or face steep tariffs.

Wi Sung-lac's trip comes just two weeks after his last visit to Washington for talks on tariffs and security. After Trump's announcement, South Korea said it planned to intensify trade talks.

There were no immediate details on who he was planning to meet. Presidential aide Woo Sangho told journalists Wi would engage in negotiations on various issues, without elaborating.

Earlier this month, Trump said he planned to impose a 25 percent tariff on South Korea from Aug 1, posing the first major test for South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung since he came to office barely a month ago.

On his last trip to Washington, Wi said he had met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and proposed including security and investments in trade negotiations.

The country's new Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said on Monday that tariff talks with the US are in a critical phase that could result in all kinds of scenarios, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, President Lee's approval rating rose 1.5 percentage points over the week to 76.2 percent last week, a weekly poll showed on Monday.

Agencies - Xinhua