Presidential Office Convenes NSC Standing Committee...Trade and Security Issues Discussed with Ambassador Kang Kyung-wha

On July 16, the National Security Office at the Presidential Office convened a meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) Standing Committee to discuss security and trade issues between South Korea and the United States.

Kang Kyungwhwa, the South Korean Ambassador to the United States, who temporarily returned to Korea for discussions regarding current South Korea-U.S. issues such as the Coupang matter, attended the NSC Standing Committee meeting that day. Government officials from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Fair Trade Commission were also present.

Following the instructions of Foreign Minister Hyun Cho, Ambassador Kang Kyungwhwa, who temporarily returned to Korea, is entering the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building on the 15th for a meeting with Minister Cho in Jongno-gu. July 15, 2026 Yonhap News Photo by Yonhap

Chief Wi stated, "The greater the uncertainty in the external environment, the more important it is to coordinate effective responses to protect the national interest based on a shared perspective," and emphasized, "Since South Korea-U.S. relations encompass both trade and security, it is essential for various ministries to cooperate organically to take these ties to the next level."

The National Security Office announced, "Moving forward, we will continue to align our security strategy with the trend of closely interconnected trade and security issues, maximizing national interests through consistent collaboration among relevant ministries."

Previously, Ambassador Kang had temporarily returned to Korea on July 15 at the instruction of Foreign Minister Hyun Cho. Ambassador Kang is known to have communicated to the government the issues of concern raised by the U.S. side—such as sanctions on Coupang, the implementation of the False and Manipulated Information Eradication Act, and delays in investment to the U.S.—and to have discussed countermeasures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.