South Korea’s top policy official said that Seoul and Washington have made “some progress” on the few remaining issues in their ongoing trade negotiations.

Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom made the remarks to reporters on Wednesday after a meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Washington, D.C., which he attended alongside Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan.

Following about two hours of talks at the U.S. Commerce Department, Kim said “one or two” issues still require further discussion.

Asked whether the negotiations were entering their final stage, Kim replied that they were not, emphasizing that "a negotiation is not over until it’s truly over."

Earlier in the day, upon arriving at Dulles International Airpor near Washington, Kim told reporters that the two countries have been negotiating for several months and have recently engaged in serious and constructive discussions on key matters, adding that the talks are nearing the final stage.