President Lee Jae-myung said on the 18th that talks over South Korea's investment package in the United States are continuing, saying he found parts that are not easy to agree to.
"They say it is nearly agreed, but when I looked at the contents, there are parts that are not easy to agree to," Lee said at a news conference at the Blue House.
Lee said the two sides had managed to insert the phrase "commercial rationality" into the agreement on the investments. "That was an extremely difficult thing to do, and no other country has it," he said. He added that problems emerged once detailed negotiations began, citing questions over "how to recover the money, how to divide the profits, and what to do about projects that generate losses."
"Our working-level negotiating team is having a hard time, and I myself am losing sleep over it," Lee said. "They say it is nearly agreed, but when I looked at the contents, there are parts that are not easy to agree to, so we are talking about it again."
Lee also stressed that the national interest must not be swayed by pressure. "The national interest is important, and we must not be shaken on impulse by any pressure or coercion," he said. "I am not saying the United States is doing that, but that is the principle I hold."
He added that the government is "arguing and negotiating fiercely to structure the projects in a way that does not damage the national interest and benefits both South Korea and the United States."
