South Korea’s new chief trade negotiator has vowed a “steady and active effort to find a new balance of interests” with the country’s main trade partners.
 
Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong was inaugurated in a ceremony at the government complex in Sejong City on Friday.
 
Kim said the most basic principle of any negotiations is a balance of interests, noting that achieving a one-sided deal is unrealistic.
 
He warned against being too defensive in trade negotiations, saying it will bring no future for the country, but at the same time emphasized ownership on the part of the negotiator along with the commitment to safeguard national interests.
 
Kim returned as the country’s top trade representative for the first time in ten years after he led the South Korea-U.S. Free Trade agreement under the former Roh Moo-hyun government.