The presidential office has hinted that South Korea will deal with security and trade issues separately amid strengthening protectionist measures from the U.S. 

A presidential official said Monday that President Moon Jae-in believes the logic of security and trade is different. 

The official added that the president has the same idea about negotiations for revising the free trade agreement with the U.S. although Seoul needs to work with Washington over the North Korean nuclear issue. 

The official said that Moon has been aware of the need to revise the trade deal, noting that the free trade agreement precedes all other laws in South Korea, but the federal law precedes the deal in the U.S.