Are South Korea-U.S. Issues Tangled? Ambassador to the U.S. Makes 'Unusual' Return

[Anchor]

Kang Kyung-wha, Ambassador to the United States, has returned home temporarily. It is unusual for an ambassador to return without a specific diplomatic event scheduled. It appears the government is engaging in urgent coordination to find solutions to the issues between South Korea and the U.S., which began to get complicated due to the Coupang issue.

Reporter Kim Hye-young has the story.

[Reporter]

Ambassador to the U.S. Kang Kyung-wha, who returned for a five-day visit.

As she entered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, she mentioned that the Coupang issue has been prolonged.

[Kang Kyung-wha/South Korean Ambassador to the U.S.: (The Coupang issue) is an issue that is lasting much longer than I had thought, so while managing that issue as it is...]

The Blue House explained that the Ambassador's return is "for the purpose of listening to the head of the mission's recommendations and candid opinions on ways to develop bilateral relations."

However, it is unusual for a sitting ambassador to the U.S. to return temporarily for the purpose of coordinating pending issues rather than for personal matters.

This can be interpreted as a sign that resolving major issues between South Korea and the U.S. is not going smoothly.

The Coupang issue has even affected negotiations in the security sector, including nuclear-powered submarines and nuclear cooperation, as not only the U.S. Congress but also the White House have stepped in, pressuring South Korea by claiming that "the South Korean government is discriminating against the U.S. company Coupang."

Regarding the investment in the U.S. agreed upon by the leaders of South Korea and the U.S. last year, the "first project" has yet to be finalized, and dissatisfaction from the U.S. side appears to be growing.

Last week, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Lutnick publicly demanded the expansion of production facilities within the U.S., mentioning Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix.

The government's position is that it must sufficiently consider "commercial rationality" regarding investments in the U.S.

[President Lee Jae-myung: This is a large-scale matter that is exposed to the long-term interests of the people, so we must handle it very carefully and from the perspective of protecting the national interest.]

Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha is scheduled to attend a meeting on South Korea-U.S. issues presided over by the Blue House National Security Office, and attention is focused on whether she can come up with a breakthrough solution before returning to the U.S. on July 19.

(Video coverage: Jo Chun-dong, Jung Sang-bo | Video editing: Jeon Min-gyu | Design: Choi Ha-neul)

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