Anchor: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said that the U.S. may not impose high tariffs on imported vehicles following positive dialogue with auto-making nations and regions. The remark comes as the White House has until November 13 to decide whether to impose up to 25 percent tariffs on vehicles and parts.
Celina Yoon has more.

Report: U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross said on Sunday that the Donald Trump administration may not need to impose high tariffs on imported vehicles. 

In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Ross said that the U.S. hopes the negotiations it has been having with individual companies about their capital investment plans will bear enough fruit that it may not be necessary to "put the 232 tariffs fully into effect," or even partly into effect. 

He added that the U.S. had very good conversations with its European, Japanese and South Korean friends -- all major auto producers.

Section 232 refers to a provision of the U.S. Trade Expansion Act of 1962 that enables the imposition of high tariffs for reasons of national security. 

U.S. President Donald Trump had ordered his administration in February to decide whether to impose auto tariffs by May 18. The deadline was pushed back six months to November 14.

While South Korea had been mentioned along with the European Union and Japan as candidates for high tariffs, most market analysts expect Seoul to be exempt following auto industry concessions it made to the U.S. last year while revising the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement(FTA).

South Korea's trade surplus with the U.S. has dropped just under seven percent since the revised FTA took effect January first despite an increase in overall trade.

The South Korean government says it recorded a ten-point-five billion dollar surplus with the U.S. from January to October this year, down six-point-eight percent from the same period last year. 

South Korea has increased imports of crude oil from the U.S. to diversify energy sources, and also bumped up imports of meat and medicine. 
Celina Yoon, KBS World Radio News.