Trump nominee vows to press Seoul on its $350 billion pledge

President Donald Trump's nominee to be the U.S. ambassador to South Korea vowed on Wednesday to press South Korea to learn where the $350 billion Seoul has pledged to invest in the United States will come from.



Former California congresswoman Michelle Steel also told her Senate confirmation hearing that U.S. firms in South Korea deserved the same market access Korean companies enjoy in the United States.



Last year Washington and Seoul agreed the broad outlines of an agreement on trade and investment under which South Korea committed to invest $350 billion in the United States in return for more favorable tariff terms. But details have been sparse and implementation slow, prompting Trump to threaten in January to raise tariffs on South Korean goods to 25% from the 15% noted in the deal.



Tensions have since eased, and a South Korean law implementing the investment pledge goes into force next month. Steel, however, said Washington was still waiting for key details.