“The US is asking Seoul to join measures to curb China in ‘other areas’ as the ‘precondition’ for bilateral cooperation in shipbuilding,” trade policy director Chang Sung-gil said, without elaborating.

“The US feels a sense of crisis that China’s market share in the shipbuilding sector is growing and is tapping Korea as a strategic partner,” Chang said at a forum hosted by a lawmaker.

“The US had also expressed reservations when it comes to cutting or eliminating industry-specific tariffs, such as those on automobiles and steel,” Chang said.

“The US is asking Seoul to boost US investments and purchases of US energy and agriculture products in return for negotiating over reciprocal tariffs of 25%,” he said, but added “there is a lot of political sensitivity in South Korea when it comes to expanding imports of agricultural products”.