[Breaking News] Han Deok-su, Director General for Trade Negotiations, who oversaw Korea-US tariff negotiations, has been removed from his position by the Minister of Trade.

The South Korean government has placed veteran trade negotiator Hyun Gyu-gil, 57, in charge of South Korea's negotiations with the United States on trade and non-tariff barriers as of 0:00 on the 15th. The move comes as the United States, under Section 301 of its Trade Act, imposes tariffs on imports from South Korea, including products made using forced labor and products from overproduction.

The U.S. is also investigating the imposition of additional tariffs on overproduction. South Korea's government aims to keep these two tariffs from exceeding 15% in total. Previously, Hyun served as the head of the Major U.S. Trade Negotiations Task Force (TF) under the Moon Jae-in administration, leading South Korea's negotiations on trade, industry, and energy issues.

He was also in attendance at a critical emergency economic steering committee on June 13th. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that Hyun would continue to attend key meetings, including the National Security Council and the 18th National Security Council meeting on the 18th. However, the move has sparked speculation that the change in leadership may be unrelated to the ongoing trade negotiations or the status of U.S. investments in South Korea.