[Anchor]

Just over a week before the deadline for mutual tariff imposition, the 2+2 trade talks between South Korea and the United States have fallen through.

The U.S. sent an email this morning (July 24) to cancel the meeting.

Our representative, Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol, had to return to the airport just before his departure.

There is growing interest in whether this is simply a postponement or a pressure tactic from the U.S.

Kim Ji-sook brings us our first report.

[Report]

Koo Yun-cheol, who was supposed to board a flight to Washington D.C., emerges from the airport with a stern expression and gets into a car.

About an hour and a half before the flight was scheduled to take off, an email suddenly arrived from the U.S., notifying the cancellation of the meeting.

The U.S. stated that it was due to Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent's urgent schedule but did not clarify what that entailed.

[Kang Young-kyu/Spokesperson, Ministry of Economy and Finance: "They said it couldn't happen due to an urgent schedule. They contacted us asking when would be a possible time in the near future..."]

The government announced that the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy as well as the Minister for Trade would proceed with discussions with the U.S. as planned, and that they would discuss rescheduling the 2+2 negotiations soon.

However, Secretary Bessent is expected to accompany President Trump on his visit to Scotland starting on the 25th, and from the 28th, he will visit Sweden for trade negotiations with China.

There are predictions that it will not be easy to reschedule the meeting before the tariff negotiation deadline on the 1st of next month.

[Heo Yoon/Professor, Sogang University Graduate School of International Studies: "It feels like Korea is being excluded from the priority negotiation partners. The negotiations so far have not gone in the direction the U.S. wanted, and it seems they are in a position to maximize concessions from Korea while asking for as many gifts as possible before August 1st."]

Wi Sung-lac, the National Security Office Director who visited the U.S. with a so-called 'package negotiation' proposal linking tariff issues with security matters, also returned home without meeting National Security Advisor Marco Rubio.

[Wi Sung-lac/National Security Office Director: "The current negotiations between South Korea and the U.S. are at a quite important stage. My visit aims to support the detailed negotiations conducted by economic officials."]

Whether this is merely a postponement or a pressure tactic from the U.S. due to dissatisfaction with our negotiation proposal remains unclear, but it has put the government on high alert.

KBS News, Kim Ji-sook.

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