Korean negotiators 'shocked' by unequal U.S. tariff proposal before agreement struck: Policy chief

Senior aides to Lee Jae Myung said the U.S. delivered a tariff proposal last August that left negotiators “shocked,” describing it as the starting point of a difficult series of talks that continued until the leaders’ meeting in Gyeongju last month.

President Lee Jae Myung and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands ahead of their summit at the Gyeongju National Museum in North Gyeongsang on Oct. 29. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

Senior aides to President Lee Jae Myung said the United States delivered an opening tariff proposal last August that left negotiators “shocked,” describing it as the starting point of a difficult series of talks that continued until the leaders’ meeting in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, last month.

Policy chief Kim Yong-beom said in a video released Friday on President Lee’s official YouTube channel that the U.S. draft sent after the first Lee-Trump summit in Washington in August was so imbalanced that he “didn’t know whether to call it ‘shocking,’” adding that it was “truly a proposal that made no sense.”

Kim said the offer was so unequal that it made him think, “Ah, this must be the Eulsa year,” a reference to 1905, when Japan forced Korea to sign the widely reviled Eulsa treaty that stripped it of its diplomatic rights.

Kim said this stage was “absolutely the worst,” adding, “The U.S. side was extremely angry because their president was coming [to Korea] and our positions weren’t narrowing, and that was conveyed to us.” He said Korean negotiators “struggled to the end” for terms they could accept and said there was “a line beyond which we could not make concessions.”

The video also featured chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik and National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac, who recounted the moments before and after the Korea–U.S. summit in Gyeongju on Oct. 29, where the two sides reached agreement on tariff and security matters. It was posted after the two governments released a joint fact sheet summarizing the outcome.

Kang said the situation just before the deal was reached was marked by “extreme tension” and that disagreements had not been resolved. “After it ended, the tension was finally released,” he said.

Wi said the agreement was reached when “the main players reconsidered their positions at the last moment and stepped back to make room for each other.” 〉〉 "The key players reconsidered their positions to the last minute and, out of mutual consideration, each side backed down."

“In the end, it turned out well," Wi said. "The president handled it well, and the aides gathered their wisdom and considered how to respond.”

Kang also said there had been “23 minister-level meetings” between the two countries in the course of preparations. He added, “I maintained the toughest position — and the president was even tougher.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom. BY HYEON YE-SEUL [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]