SEOUL] South Korea’s top trade official said negotiations with the US on tariffs have entered a critical phase, after wrapping up meetings in Washington and returning to Seoul late Thursday (Jul 10).

SEOUL (Reuters) -The U.S. has demanded South Korea join efforts to curb China in trade talks, as the countries discuss cooperation in shipbuilding, a senior official from Seoul's trade ministry said on Friday.

Trump said on Tuesday that South Korea should be paying for its own military protection, suggesting the US ally needed to pay more for the US troop presence there, a day after the tariff announcement.

South Korea's parliament approved a supplementary budget on Friday of 31.8 trillion won ($23.3 billion), supporting President Lee Jae Myung's push to bolster an economy grappling with trade headwinds and tepid consumption.