US Discusses Changes to Autos, 'Barriers' to Other Sectors in FTA Negotiations With South Korea

The U.S. and South Korea have “much work to do” in negotiations over an updated U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a statement following talks held Jan. 5 in Washington. At the meeting, U.S. and South Korean officials discussed “priority areas of interest and agreed to set the schedule for the next meeting in the near term,” according to a separate statement from the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. The U.S. “discussed proposals to move towards fair and reciprocal trade in key industrial goods sectors, such as autos and auto parts, as well as to resolve additional cross-cutting and sector-specific barriers impacting U.S. exports,” the USTR statement said. “Both sides agreed to follow-up to discuss timing for the next meeting in the very near term,” USTR said.