South Korea sees higher chance of US trade deal by Apec summit

South Korea has a higher chance of reaching a trade deal with the US by the time of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in South Korea later in October, the country’s chief policy adviser said on Oct 19.



While the two sides have made concrete progress in most issues, they need to iron out a couple of remaining items, adviser Kim Yong-beom told reporters, after returning from a trip to Washington where he met US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.



Both South Korean and US officials have recently expressed optimism about a breakthrough in their stalled trade talks as the countries’ leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of the Apec summit in Gyeongju, South Korea, later in October.