South Korea minister heads to US as Section 301 tariff decision looms

Minister Kim Jung-kwan will hold talks with senior US officials before a key trade ruling

South Korean Minister of Climate, Energy and Environment Kim Sung-hwan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Science and ICT Bae Kyung-hoon, President of Amkor Technology Korea Lee Jin-an, CEO of SK Hynix Kwak Noh-jung, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Vice-Chairman of Samsung Electronics Jun Young-hyun, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan pose for photographs after the MOU signing ceremony during a public briefing on the development vision for advanced industry in South Korea's southwestern region, in Gwangju, South Korea, Jun 30, 2026. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji/File Photo

South Korea's Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan will visit Washington this week for talks with senior US officials on trade and investment cooperation, his ministry said, as Seoul braces for a US announcement on additional tariffs under Section 301 of the Trade Act.

Kim will be in Washington from Jul 22 to 25 and is scheduled to meet US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to discuss strategic South Korean investment in the United States and other bilateral issues, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resource said in a statement.

Kim also plans to meet Energy Secretary Chris Wright and other US officials to discuss cooperation in resources and energy, while conducting outreach with members of Congress on trade and investment matters, the ministry said.

Seoul would work to implement tariff agreements with Washington and keep bilateral trade relations stable, Kim said in the statement.

The visit comes ahead of an upcoming US decision on a Section 301 investigation into trade practices linked to forced labour, which local media said could raise tariff pressure on South Korean exports.