$350 million 'up front' cash payment to U.S. 'unfeasible,' Korea's security adviser says
Published: 29 Sep. 2025, 18:50
Updated: 29 Sep. 2025, 20:15
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- SARAH KIM
- [email protected]
![National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac gives a press briefing at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Sept. 29. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/29/5418366a-95b7-4851-930f-c32941aab0d1.jpg)
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac gives a press briefing at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul on Sept. 29. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac doubled down on Seoul's refusal to pay its $350 billion investment pledge to Washington "up front," as suggested by U.S. President Donald Trump, saying it was "unfeasible" on Monday.
"From our perspective, paying $350 billion in cash is not feasible, so we are exploring alternatives," Wi told reporters at a press conference at the Yongsan presidential office in central Seoul as he addressed the stalled Korea-U.S. tariff negotiations.
However, Wi acknowledged that some within the liberal Democratic Party (DP) are making hard-line remarks toward the United States, but warned that "overplaying" such rhetoric must be avoided amid a tense situation.
He addressed a reporter's question about the impact of aggressive rhetoric against Washington coming from a hard-line faction of the DP, which released a statement expressing "public anger" over a Wall Street Journal report claiming that the Trump administration demanded $350 billion in upfront payments, and possibly as much as $550 billion.
Wi said such hard-line reports and language toward the United States "do not necessarily serve as leverage in negotiations."
Trump, during a presser at the White House last Thursday, said regarding trade deals with allies, "As you know, in Japan, it's $550 billion. South Korea is $350 billion, that's up front." He indicated his administration is reaping in "tremendous" amounts of money through its tariff policy.
This comes as U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick reportedly asked Korea to slightly increase its commitment, proposing that the amount be brought closer to Japan's $550 billion deal agreed upon in July.
When asked about Seoul's interpretation of Trump's statement, Wi said on Monday that he's "not sure" if the U.S. leader was responding directly to something that came out of Korea or making an independent remark, saying that "there may not necessarily be a correlation."
Addressing the current public sentiment following the recent U.S. immigration raid detaining over 300 Koreans working at a battery plant construction site in Georgia, Wi said, "If we set our sights high, it's important not to overplay" the current situation. He highlighted the possibility of creating new visa categories and expanding professional visas to the United States.
![Korean President Lee Jae Myung, right, speaks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations in New York on Sept. 24. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/29/02d805ec-e962-4823-922c-a3984b49ceb9.jpg)
Korean President Lee Jae Myung, right, speaks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations in New York on Sept. 24. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]
President Lee said in an interview with Reuters last week that accepting all U.S. trade demands could lead to an economic meltdown comparable to the 1997 Asian financial crisis.
Last Friday, Lee returned from a five-day trip to New York to speak at the UN General Assembly and also meet with U.S. trade officials, lawmakers and opinion leaders to discuss tariff and visa issues. This marks his second trip to the United States in a month, after a first summit with Trump in August. The two leaders could reunite at the APEC summit to be held over Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, an occasion to possibly make progress on the trade talks and the North Korea issue.
Lee told U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Wednesday in talks in New York that he expects tariff negotiations with the United States to proceed in a direction that serves both countries' interests based on "commercial rationality." Seoul has pushed for a package of measures to boost investment in the United States, including a currency swap.
When asked whether there had been any signs of a North Korea-U.S. summit on the margins of the upcoming the APEC summit in Gyeongju at the end of next month, Wi said in Monday's press briefing, "It's hard to see any significant difference," but noted that are "minor" shifts though it is difficult see if they are "meaningful" changes at the moment.
At the UN General Assembly, Lee delivered a keynote address, proposing his so-called "END initiative" to achieve peace on the Korean Peninsula through a phased approach based on "exchange," "normalization" and "denuclearization."
![President Lee Jae Myung, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shake hands as they hold a bilateral summit at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on Aug. 23. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2025/09/29/15a6c7db-a29f-4ffc-91f9-8232ed851019.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung, left, and Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba shake hands as they hold a bilateral summit at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on Aug. 23. [JOINT PRESS CORPS]
Ishiba will make a two-day working trip to Korea, returning Lee's visit to Japan last month and marking a full resumption of shuttle diplomacy between the two neighbors.
The two sides will address shared challenges, including demographic changes and regional revitalization, as well as expand future-oriented cooperation in areas such as AI and hydrogen energy.
BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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