President Lee Jae-myung said on July 31 that the conclusion of tariff negotiations with the U.S. marked the overcoming of “a major hurdle.” He highlighted the elimination of uncertainties in the global trade environment and emphasized that the deal had created conditions for Korea to “compete on equal or even better terms with major economies.”

Writing on Facebook that morning, President Lee said, “We have aligned U.S. tariffs to the same or lower levels than those of our key export competitors,” assessing the negotiation as a significant diplomatic achievement.

He further noted, “This agreement is the result of a convergence between the U.S. interest in reviving its manufacturing sector and our goal of enhancing the competitiveness of Korean businesses in the American market.”

Lee stressed that the deal was struck under difficult conditions. “Despite the tight timeline and challenging circumstances, the government entered the talks with the national interest as its top priority,” he wrote. “Negotiations are never easy, as they always involve a counterpart. It is important to produce a mutually beneficial outcome, not a one-sided win.”

Later that afternoon, during a senior secretariat meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan, Lee remarked, “We’ve cleared a major mountain, but the restructuring of the global trade order will only accelerate from here.” He called for “flexible, pragmatic diplomacy centered on national interest” to navigate the rapidly changing international landscape. He also instructed relevant ministries to “prepare long-term strategies to overcome economic limitations, including expanding domestic demand and diversifying export markets.”

At a workshop for ministers and vice ministers held earlier in the day at the Government Complex in Seoul, President Lee praised the public officials who participated in the negotiations. “It was an extremely difficult situation,” he said. “It made me realize how much we need to strengthen our national capabilities. While the result may not be entirely satisfying, I sincerely thank you for achieving such meaningful progress.”

Regarding his low public profile during the talks, Lee explained, “I refrained from making public statements because they could have negatively impacted the negotiations.” Half-jokingly, he remarked, “I’ve been quiet not because I had nothing to say, but because I had a loose tooth,” adding, “Since I kept quiet and stayed still, people actually thought I was nothing more than a lifeless ‘sack of rice.’” His comment appeared to be a lighthearted response to opposition criticism that he had taken a passive stance during the talks.

“Just like a duck gliding gracefully on the surface while paddling frantically beneath the water, we’ve been working tirelessly behind the scenes,” Lee said. “My aides know how much thought and action we’ve put into this process.”

According to the presidential office, President Lee received real-time updates on the negotiations and personally monitored the situation until the deal was finalized. Kim Yong-beom, the presidential chief of staff for policy, said in a briefing, “Even I was calling and reporting to the president at 2 or 3 a.m. this morning,” adding, “When we say ‘the president was getting updates 24/7,’ it’s not just a figure of speech.”