US announces plan to renegotiate trade deal with South Korea

The United States is seeking to renegotiate its trade deal with South Korea, Washington said Wednesday.

United

States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said in a statement that

he was instructed by President Donald Trump to call a special Joint

Committee meeting under the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS).

"The

USTR (United States Trade Representative) acted in accord with the

president's intention of reducing the trade deficit and giving Americans

a better chance to succeed in global markets," the statement report.

The

goal of negotiating the accord, Lighthizer said, is to reduce America's

trade deficit and improved its competitiveness in global markets, in

hopes of removing what he said are barriers to trade.

"President Trump continues to keep his promises to lower

our trade deficit and negotiate better trade deals for American

workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesses," Lighthizer said.

Lighthizer called for the meeting to be held in Washington next month, at a date to be agreed upon later by both sides.

"Since

KORUS went into effect, our trade deficit in goods with Korea has

doubled from 13.2 billion US dollars to 27.6 billion US dollars, while

US goods exports have actually gone down," he said.

"This

is quite different from what the previous administration sold to the

American people when it urged approval of this agreement. We can and

must do better."