[Anchor]

Kang Kyung-wha, the South Korean Ambassador to the United States, has made an unusual temporary return to Seoul while serving in her post. With the hardline stance from U.S. political circles regarding issues such as Coupang spilling over into investment and security discussions, it appears the government has stepped in for urgent coordination.

Reported by Kim Hye-young.

[Reporter]

Ambassador to the U.S. Kang Kyung-wha arrived back in Korea early this morning (July 15) for a five-day visit.

Upon entering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, she mentioned the prolonged nature of the Coupang issue.

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

The Presidential Office explained that the Ambassador's return was intended to "listen to the head of the diplomatic mission's suggestions and candid opinions on ways to develop bilateral relations."

However, it is highly 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 suggests that resolving key issues between South Korea and the U.S. is proving to be a difficult situation.

The Coupang issue has escalated beyond the U.S. Congress to the White House, which has applied pressure by claiming that the "South Korean government is discriminating against the U.S. company Coupang." This has even begun to affect negotiations in the security sector, including nuclear-powered submarines and nuclear energy cooperation.

Regarding investments in the U.S., which the leaders of both countries agreed upon last year, the "first project" has yet to be finalized, leading to growing dissatisfaction from the U.S. side.

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

The South Korean government maintains the position that investments in the U.S. must be carefully weighed based on "commercial rationality."

[President Lee Jae-myung: This is a large-scale matter that involves the long-term interests of the public, so we must be very cautious and handle it well from the perspective of protecting national interests.]

Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha is scheduled to attend a meeting on South Korea-U.S. issues presided over by the Presidential National Security Office tomorrow. Attention is focused on whether she can devise a solution to break through the current situation before returning to the United States on July 19.

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