The chief of a South Korean delegation for negotiations to revise the free trade agreement(FTA) with the U.S. has vowed to put the country's national interests first.  

Yoo Myung-hee, director general of the Trade Ministry's trade policy bureau, arrived in Washington on Thursday on the eve of the first round of the FTA talks. 

She told reporters at Dulles International Airport that she will put the country's national interests first and seek a balance of interest in the negotiations.

When asked about the biggest issues to be discussed, Yoo refused to elaborate, but did say that the U.S. seems interested in dealing with areas such as automobiles where it is witnessing a trade deficit. 

When asked if South Korea could abandon the FTA, Yoo said that the government is preparing for the negotiations with all possibilities in mind. 

South Korea and the U.S. are to start the first round of negotiations to amend their bilateral trade deal in Washington on Friday. 

The move to revise the five-year-old trade deal is expected to raise differences between the two countries regarding their stances toward the automobile and agricultural and livestock goods sectors.