South Korea and the United States agreed to craft a package of deals aimed at removing new U.S. tariffs before the pause on reciprocal tariffs is lifted in July, Seoul's delegation said after the first round of trade talks in Washington.

South Korea could offer to expand production bases in the United States via Korean companies, including in the automotive, chip and battery sectors. On March 24, Hyundai announced

The country is a major exporter to the US and giants such as Samsung Electronics and automaker Hyundai stand to take a hefty hit if the White House goes ahead with its threatened 25 per cent "reciprocal" tariffs.