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Top South Korean officials, business leaders converge in

Washington, D.C.

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South Korea faces August 1 deadline for 25% tariffs

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Lutnick urged South Korea to 'bring it all,' report says

(Adds markets, South Korean business leaders and presidential

aide in paragraphs 6, 9-12)

By Joyce Lee and Yena Park

SEOUL, July 30 (Reuters) - Three South Korean

cabinet-level officials met U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard

Lutnick in Washington for trade talks, Seoul said on Wednesday,

as top business leaders were also reported to be flying in to

help lobby for a deal on U.S. tariffs.

South Korean Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol joined Industry

Minister Kim Jung-kwan and Minister for Trade Yeo Han-koo, who

have been in Washington since last week, for two hours of talks

with Lutnick, a ministry spokesperson said in Seoul.

The finance ministry spokesperson did not offer details of

the discussions. U.S. President Donald Trump has set an August 1

deadline for 25% tariffs to kick in against South Korea, a major

U.S. ally and powerhouse exporter of chips, autos and steel.

The latest meeting came as the Wall Street Journal reported

that Lutnick had urged the South Korean team to bring their best

and final offer to the table during a meeting he had with Kim

and Yeo in Scotland.

Lutnick told the South Korean officials they need to "bring

it all" when they make their final offer to Trump, the report

said.

South Korea's benchmark KOSPI stock index rose

0.7% on Wednesday to hit a near four-year high, as the flurry of

U.S. visits by government and company officials raised optimism

around the country's trade negotiations.

Koo, who arrived in Washington on Tuesday, has said he hopes

to convince the United States the package of trade and related

offers of industrial cooperation, including in shipbuilding, is

to the allies' mutual benefit.

Koo also plans to meet U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

during the visit.

The heads of some of South Korea's largest global companies

were converging on Washington to lend support to government

negotiators, media reports said.

Hyundai Motor Group Chairman Euisun Chung was reported

to be departing for Washington on Wednesday.

Samsung Electronics ( SSNLF )

Chairman Jay Y. Lee and the vice chairman of the Hanwha

Group, Kim Dong-kwan, whose affiliate Hanwha Ocean has unveiled

a major investment plan in the United States, were also in

Washington, D.C.

Hyundai Motor ( HYMTF ), which along with its affiliate Kia Corp ( KIMTF )

is the world's third-largest automaker, will face a significant

impact in the absence of a waiver or reduction in a 25% import

duty on cars given that the U.S. is a major export destination.

South Korean officials were also discussing potential

cooperation in chips, batteries and biotechnology under a

package proposal, South Korea's chief presidential policy

secretary Kim Yong-beom said.

Pressure has been mounting on South Korea since Japan

clinched a deal to cut Trump's threatened tariffs to 15% last

week. This was followed by a U.S.-EU trade deal over the

weekend, and Trump's top aides, including Bessent, are now

working to close a deal with China.

South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun will also travel to

Washington this week to assist with the tariff negotiations.