South Korean Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho says 2017 policies will respond positively to the Trump administration's "America First" direction.

Seoul plans to expand U.S. imports including aircraft, and aims to join other countries in responding collectively to trade conflicts with China.

Beijing has been making it more difficult for South Korean companies to do business in China, in what is seen as a soft retaliation for South Korea's planned deployment of the U.S. THAAD missile defense.

South Korea plans to launch a U.S. consultation channel aimed at stepping up trade and to taper the nation's current account surplus with the U.S.