S. Korea's finance minister leaves for U.S. for G-20, IMF meetings

SEJONG, April 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's finance minister left for Washington Thursday for a series of annual international conferences on the global economy and other pending issues.

Hong Nam-ki, the minister of economy and finance, plans to call for active policy coordination among the G-20 countries for a strong, sustainable and inclusive growth at the Group of 20 finance ministers and central bank governors meetings on Thursday and Friday.

The meeting of the world's major economies is meant to check risk factors facing the global economy and to discuss how to cope with challenges, the finance ministry said.

Hong is also scheduled to attend annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Hong will hold separate bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the U.S., China, Germany and Switzerland. Hong is to discuss foreign exchange policy and trade issues with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, according to the ministry.

In December, Hong had a phone conversation with Mnuchin and made an appeal for an exemption from possible U.S. tariffs on South Korean automobiles.

U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to decide by around May whether to impose tariffs on imported autos on national security grounds based on Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act.

Hong is also scheduled to meet with IMF chief Christine Lagarde and World Bank President David Malpass as well as top officials from three major global rating agencies -- Moody's Investors Service, Standard & Poor's and Fitch Ratings.

entropy@yna.co.kr
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