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Kim Yong-beom, the president’s top policy adviser, attends a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office on Oct. 21, 2025. (Yonhap)

The presidential office’s policy director and Korea’s minister of trade, industry and energy will depart for the United States again on Wednesday for follow-up tariff negotiations with the US, officials announced on Tuesday.

The urgent departure of policy chief Kim Yong-beom and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan was announced late Tuesday night by the presidential office and the Industry Ministry. 

Their trip comes less than a week after the two officials met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, the lead US negotiator on the tariff deal, for two hours in Washington on Thursday to finalize details.

Upon returning to Korea on Sunday, Kim Yong-beom stated they had made “substantial progress on most issues,” but added that there were still “one or two issues that need some fine-tuning.” 

The industry minister returned to Korea the following day. When reporters at Incheon International Airport asked whether the US was still demanding that Korea make its entire US$350 billion investment commitment in cash, he responded, “It hasn't gone that far.” 

“If things had gone that far, the negotiations would have already fallen through. But the US side has, to a considerable extent, accepted our views,” he said.

The fact that the two officials are flying to the US again just days after their return suggests they are finalizing agreements ahead of the upcoming Korea-US summit expected to take place once President Donald Trump arrives in Korea on Oct. 29.

According to the policy director and other officials, the US seems to have rescinded its demand for Korea’s investment package to be made in cash, with negotiations now focusing on critical issues for Korea, such as the composition of investment funds, payment through installments, and securing the stability of the Korean foreign exchange market. 

After returning to Korea, the officials appear to have reported the results of their visit to the president, received additional instructions, and then departed for the US again for final talks.

By Lee Bon-young, senior staff writer

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