By Jihoon Lee
SEOUL (Reuters) – South Korea’s acting president Choi Sang-mok said on Tuesday he hoped for bilateral relations with the United States to develop more reciprocally under the Trump administration.
“The government will strive to further strengthen policy cooperation with the United States and promote mutual interests based on the shared value of the Korea-U.S. alliance,” Choi said, citing its slogan of “We Go Together”.
Choi, who has been serving as acting president since late December, said he would seek to have a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump at the earliest time possible, hours after Trump was sworn in for his second term as the 47th president of the United States.
Choi also said the government would review response measures to Trump’s proposed policies, particularly on tariffs and electric vehicles, which are expected to affect the South Korean economy both directly and indirectly.
In 2024, Asia’s fourth-largest economy earned a record-high surplus of $55.7 billion in trade with the U.S., up 25.4% from 2023, raising worries that Trump might seek trade curbs against South Korea.