President Lee Jae Myung said South Korea had “overcome a major hurdle” by striking a trade deal with the US to cut import tariffs to 15 per cent, easing tensions with its chief ally.
The deal, announced by Donald Trump, came after South Korean officials met with the US president on Wednesday, sparing one of the world’s biggest exporters from a 25 per cent tariff just a day before sweeping American levies on other countries were set to take effect.