Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Yoo Il-ho said Tuesday that he is cautiously optimistic about trade issues concerning the U.S.
 
In an interview with CNBC, Yoo said many people in the world shared the same kind of concerns as Seoul when U.S. President Donald Trump said in a campaign speech “that he will do many things to protect the American people, American trade,” a remark Yoo described “is in the tint of protectionism."
 
Yoo said that South Korea will exert active efforts to decrease the trade surplus with the U.S., adding that he is “very cautiously optimistic” about the matter.
 
The minister also said while North Korea’s threats certainly pose a risk for investors, it is something that the South has been dealing with for a long time. 
 
Yoo is visiting the U.S. where he attended the G-20 finance ministers and central bank governors' meeting in Washington last week.