Acting President Choi Sang-mok takes part in a video call with U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent at Government Complex Seoul, Friday. Courtesy of Ministry of Economy and Finance

Acting President Choi Sang-mok asked U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent to consider Korea's contribution to the U.S. economy when drawing up its trade policies, according to the finance ministry on Friday.

In a video-call meeting earlier this morning, Choi, also the minister of economy and finance, discussed current issues related to U.S. tariff measures, as well as their countries' investment plans and currency exchange policies.

It was their first talk, which took place amid concerns that U.S. President Donald Trump's unfolding tariff measures would impose heavier financial burdens on Korea than before, including 25 percent tariffs on all aluminum and steel imports — without exception or exemption — as well as plans for tariffs on cars and semiconductors.

Choi urged his counterpart to consider Korea's contributions to the U.S. economy to date. He emphasized that a strong partnership between the U.S. and Korea is crucial for the economic and security stability of the Indo-Pacific region and will have a global impact.

The pair's meeting took place after they skipped the Group of 20 finance ministers' meeting in South Africa from Wednesday to Thursday.

Prior to the meeting, the industry ministers of both countries also met in person and agreed to establish a working-level communication channel regarding U.S. tariff measures on imports.

Korea's industry minister, Ahn Duk-geun, met U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick in Washington on Thursday (local time). It was the first in-person meeting between the two countries' industry chiefs since Trump took office.

"Ahn requested Lutnick to exempt Korean products from the tariffs," the trade ministry said in a release.

Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Ahn Duk-geun, left, shakes hands with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick at the U.S. Department of Commerce's office in Washington, Thursday (local time). Courtesy of Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

The two also discussed ways to bolster joint efforts to leverage Korea's shipbuilding infrastructure and technologies and to strengthen the U.S. shipbuilding industry. The working-level channel will also focus on shipbuilding cooperation.

Ahn said Korea plans to expand imports of gas and oil from the U.S., which will help mitigate the U.S.' trade deficit with Korea.

A recent report revealed that Korea is the top importer of certain key categories from the U.S.

The Korea International Trade Association (KITA), which analyzed import-export statistics data from the U.S. commerce department, said Korea imported $1.2 billion worth of frozen beef and $940 million worth of chilled beef last year, which took 26 percent and 21.1 percent of entire U.S. beef exports, respectively.

Last year, Korea also imported $3.94 billion worth of semiconductor equipment, accounting for 20.1 percent of total U.S. exports in this category. China and Taiwan followed.

KITA's analysis also showed that Korea was the second-largest importer of crude oil, measuring devices and cheeses from the U.S., accounting for 11.7 percent, 9.5 percent and 10.9 percent, respectively.