Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong (right side of display) and United States Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer (left side of display) held a videoconference during a special session meeting of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) Joint Committee. 

 

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the USTR convened a special session meeting of the KORUS FTA Joint Committee at a hotel in downtown Seoul on the morning of August 22 in accordance with a request by the USTR on July 13. 

 

Yoo Myung-hee, Director General for FTA Negotiation at MOTIE, led the Korean delegation, while the U.S. delegation was headed by USTR Chief of Staff Jamieson Greer and Assistant USTR for Japan, Korea, and APEC Michael Beeman. 

 

In a press briefing at the Government Complex Seoul following the end of the special meeting, Trade Minister Kim said that no agreement or decision on the next step for the KORUS FTA had been made.

 

The Trade Minister said the Korean representatives had proposed a joint study to examine the effects of the trade pact before starting talks on a revision of the deal, and will await the USTR’s review of the proposal and response before deciding how to proceed.