On 15 October, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that he expects to finalize the trade deal with South Korea within ten days, following accelerated talks in Washington. The key issue is structuring Seoul’s USD 350 billion investment pledge, including its request for financial safeguards such as a currency swap facility. The goal is to conclude the agreement before the APEC summit later this month. A successful deal would reinforce the economic alliance and provide certainty for trade and capital flows, while failure to secure safeguards could increase risks for South Korea’s financial markets.