Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul arrives at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Feb. 14, 2025 to depart for Germany, where he is set to attend the Munich Security Conference. (Yonhap)
Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul arrives at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, on Feb. 14, 2025 to depart for Germany, where he is set to attend the Munich Security Conference. (Yonhap)

Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul said Friday he will seek to explore a solution to the issue of the Trump administration's planned and potential tariffs on South Korea during his planned talks with his US counterpart.

Cho made the remarks as he arrived at Munich International Airport to attend an annual international security forum in Munich, where he is set to have his first in-person meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday (local time).

The planned talks come as President Donald Trump announced a plan to impose 25-percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, starting March 12, and is pushing to roll out "reciprocal" tariffs on US imports to match what other countries impose on American goods. Trump has also been weighing tariffs on cars, chips and pharmaceuticals.

"I have this thought that (I) will have discussions on ways for strategic cooperation in the shipbuilding industry, atomic energy and cutting-edge technology sectors, including semiconductor and artificial intelligence; explain our thoughts and position on 25-percent tariffs on steel and aluminum and the issue of reciprocal tariffs; and express our will to resolve it through dialogue and explore a solution," he told reporters.

"In terms of specifics, there might not be much time to go as far as to touch on solutions, but I will convey our position and thought in what could be a spadework (in pursuit of a solution)," he added.

Cho underscored the need to take into account Trump's perceived transactional approach on foreign policy issues as Seoul seeks to enhance its national interests in diplomacy with the Trump administration.

"After all, to find a win-win solution, we need to appeal to the US by underscoring how important South Korea's role is for the alliance and how it can contribute to the effort to achieve (Trump's) vision to make America great again," he said.

The minister noted that during his call with the secretary on Jan. 23, he confirmed the shared consensus on the "firm" alliance, cooperation on North Korean issues and the importance of trilateral cooperation among South Korea, the US and Japan.

"This time, I will have more serious discussions on those matters," he said. (Yonhap)