Anchor: South Korea’s top trade negotiator says Seoul and Washington are engaged in intensive negotiations over details of the trade deal reached in July, stressing that the devil is in the details. Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo made the remarks to reporters on Monday upon arrival at Dulles International Airport near Washington. 
Kim Bum-soo has more. 
 
Report: Seoul and Washington agreed to lower U.S. tariffs from 25 to 15 percent, but the rate has yet to take effect, with the deal's specific terms still undecided. 

Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo arrived in Washington on Monday to iron out differences in details of the trade deal the two sides reached in July.

[Sound bite: Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo (Korean-English)]
"The devil is in the details, and intense negotiations are underway on the details. I will be meeting with the USTR and do my best to protect the national interest."

In addition to the tariff issues, Yeo and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will also discuss specific terms of the 350 billion U.S. dollars that South Korea has promised to invest in the United States in return for lower duties. 

While the two sides struggled to finalize their trade conditions, South Korea's auto exports to the United States fell more than 15 percent last month from the same period of last year.  

Japan, meanwhile, has wrapped up follow-up talks with the U.S., putting into effect 15 percent tariffs on Japanese auto imports from Tuesday.

The Lee Jae Myung administration, however, is seeking to ensure that Yeo and his team are not pressed for time while negotiating with their American counterparts. 

A ranking presidential official told reporters Tuesday that Lee will not sign off on a deal that would incur massive losses for Korean businesses just to speed up the process.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.