The country’s new president, in office for a little over a month, had just dispatched his senior deputies to Washington to try to work out a trade deal.

The U.S.’s closest security allies in Asia, along with six Southeast Asian countries, have been given another three weeks to negotiate trade deals — or face higher tariffs.

The United States is now preparing to slap a 25-percent tariff on South Korea. But officials in Seoul are optimistic about reaching an agreement.