Yeo Han-koo, the head of trade negotiations at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy who has served as the working-level commander in South Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations, has been abruptly dismissed. Concerns are rising that this may disrupt not only immediate trade negotiations with the United States but also other pending trade issues.
Reporting by Sim Useop.
President Lee Jae-myung dismissed Yeo Han-koo, head of trade negotiations at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, effective at midnight today (the 15th).
While dismissing a political-appointed official unilaterally is an unusual measure, neither the presidential office nor the ministry has disclosed specific reasons.
Former Chief Negotiator Yeo served as the Director-General for Trade Policy and later as the Head of Trade Negotiations at the ministry during the Moon Jae-in administration, and was reappointed as the Head of Trade Negotiations following the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration.
Since then, he has spearheaded the South Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations and handled sensitive trade issues such as the U.S. Section 301 trade investigation and the Coupang issue.
[Yeo Han-koo / Head of Trade Negotiations (last March): "Both sides have formed a consensus that faithfully implementing the tariff agreement we reached last November will help stabilize the trade and investment relations between the two countries."]br />
With the United States intensifying pressure on the South Korean government to expedite investment in the U.S., concerns are mounting that the sudden vacancy of the top trade negotiator could disrupt negotiations with Washington.
Following the imposition of a 12.5% tariff on South Korea over the use of forced labor under Section 301, the U.S. is currently conducting investigations to levy overcapacity tariffs. The South Korean government has been consulting with the U.S. to ensure the combined tariffs do not exceed 15%.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated, "In accordance with the personnel measures of the appointing authority, we will make every effort to ensure there are no disruptions to pending trade issues."
While rumors circulating in government offices suggest the dismissal is unrelated to the U.S.-South Korea negotiations, former Chief Negotiator Yeo's side has reportedly stated that it is considering legal action against false claims.
(Video Editing: Oh Young-taek, Design: Park Cheon-woong)
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