Trade minister Yeo Han-koo leads key sessions as vice-chair nation, holds 20 bilateral meetings; presses EU trade chief again ahead of July steel import restrictions

Yeo Han-koo, head of the Korea Trade Negotiation Office at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, delivers remarks at a ceremony marking the release of an OECD report on the sidelines of the 2026 OECD Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris, France, on Wednesday. [Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy]
Yeo Han-koo, head of the Korea Trade Negotiation Office at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, delivers remarks at a ceremony marking the release of an OECD report on the sidelines of the 2026 OECD Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris, France, on Wednesday. [Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy]

South Korea, serving as vice-chair nation at this year's OECD Ministerial Council Meeting, used the forum to promote the Lee Jae-myung government's flagship industrial initiative — the Manufacturing AI Transformation, or M.AX — and to shape global trade discussions.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Yeo Han-koo, head of the Korea Trade Negotiation Office, attended the OECD Ministerial Council Meeting at OECD headquarters in Paris on Wednesday and Thursday as South Korea's chief delegate, leading discussions across major sessions and holding 20 bilateral meetings with key trading partners.

Yeo attended in his capacity as chief delegate of the vice-chair nation, a role that coincides with the 30th anniversary of South Korea's OECD membership. He took on central roles in three of the six sessions, delivering keynote and lead remarks and chairing one group.

On the first day's industrial policy session, he introduced South Korea's key industrial policies, including M.AX, an energy transition policy that balances renewable energy with nuclear power, and the "5-Pole 3-Special Zone" regional growth engine strategy.

On the second day's trade session, Yeo said open markets and a rules-based trading order remain the foundation of global growth and prosperity.

He also chaired the investment session that day, sharing South Korea's policy efforts toward a green transition, including financial and tax support for companies adopting green technologies.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Yeo held some 20 bilateral meetings with senior officials from the United States, Europe, Latin America and international organizations to address obstacles facing South Korean companies operating abroad.

He met with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to discuss the full range of bilateral trade issues, including the outcome of the Section 301 investigation under US trade law.

Yeo also met with European Commission Executive Vice President for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic — their second meeting in three days, following an earlier session on Monday — to convey South Korean industry's concerns about EU steel import restrictions set to take effect July 1 and to again urge favorable treatment in the allocation of tariff-rate quotas.

To protect its domestic steel industry, the EU plans to cut its duty-free import quota from 35 million metric tons to approximately 18.3 million metric tons starting July 1 and to double the tariff on volumes exceeding that threshold from the current 25 percent to 50 percent.

In a separate meeting with British Minister of State for Trade Policy Chris Bryant, Yeo strongly conveyed South Korea's concerns over the United Kingdom's moves to expand import restrictions on steel, including tariff increases and anti-dumping investigations.

Yeo also met with officials from Latin American countries including Argentina and Brazil to discuss cooperation on critical mineral supply chains and ways to advance trade agreements.

In addition, Yeo held separate roundtables in Paris with South Korean companies operating in France and French companies operating in South Korea, listening to their on-the-ground business difficulties and pledging regulatory reforms to improve the domestic investment environment.


oskymoon@heraldcorp.com