South Korea was set to hold a public hearing Monday to gather public opinions on the government's negotiation strategy before entering full-fledged tariff negotiations with the United States, the industry ministry said.

The public hearing was scheduled in accordance with necessary procedures for signing a trade agreement under the Act on the Conclusion Procedure and Implementation of Commercial Treaties, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

In the hearing, the ministry will provide a status update on the trade consultations with the U.S. to trade experts and stakeholders and listen to their opinions.

The Korea Institute for International Economic Policy will also announce the results of a feasibility study on agenda items of the trade consultations between Seoul and Washington.

Since February, the Seoul government has been holding trade consultations with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration on tariffs, non-tariffs and other various trade issues, with an aim to craft a package deal by July 8 -- when the 90-day pause on U.S. reciprocal tariffs will end.

South Korea has been seeking to gain a full exemption or reduction of the Trump administration's 25 percent reciprocal tariffs for the country, as well as sectoral tariffs on steel, automobiles and other imports.

The two sides have discussed various measures to reduce Korea's large trade surplus with the U.S. and also address what Washington has claimed to be South Korea's non-tariff measures that included its import ban on American beef from cattle aged 30 months or older, proposed regulations for online platforms and restrictions on the export of high-precision location data, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Seoul "will pursue tariff negotiations with the U.S. under the principle of prioritizing national interest," Vice Trade Minister Park Jong-won said.

The government plans to comprehensively review the opinions presented during the public hearing and reflect them in its negotiation strategy and report it to the National Assembly before launching full-fledged trade negotiations with the U.S., according to the ministry.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

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