The South Korean Foreign Ministry clarified on September 17 that the delay in the schedule for the first U.S. investment agreement, as stated by Foreign Minister Park Jin, is due to remaining domestic procedures rather than differences between South Korea and the United States. A ministry official remarked, "It seems to imply that further coordination on details is necessary between the two countries."
During a briefing with reporters, the official added, "This should be interpreted as a process of finding common ground rather than a conflict between South Korea and the U.S." The official further explained that Park's comments connected the need for domestic procedures to the completion of detailed coordination.
Additionally, the official noted, "I understand that reporting to the National Assembly through government discussions is necessary. It would have been preferable to finalize this sooner, but there are various positions, including our economic interests." The official projected that finding common ground for a final agreement between the two countries may take some time.
Earlier that day, Minister Park, before departing for a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, stated to reporters, "There are no differences between South Korea and the U.S.; it is about resolving procedural issues domestically. What we can do is explain to the U.S. and maintain a clear stance on any issues that contradict our national interests or differ from our position."
Meanwhile, the government was scheduled to report the first U.S. investment project to the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy and the Ministry of Economy and Finance on the same day, but the meeting was unexpectedly postponed the day before. This has led to speculation that the delay may be due to disagreements between South Korea and the U.S.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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