Seoul: Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol is set to depart for Washington, D.C., later this week to attend a series of international gatherings, the finance ministry said Tuesday, amid speculation he may hold a bilateral meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the sidelines to continue tariff negotiations.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Koo will depart for the U.S. capital Wednesday for a four-day trip to attend meetings of the Group of 20 finance ministers and the annual gatherings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, the ministry said in a press release.

On Wednesday and Thursday (local time), he is scheduled to attend the G20 meetings of finance ministers and central bank governors, followed by a G7 high-level dialogue hosted by Canada that will focus on artificial intelligence (AI), financial crime and fraud.

On Friday, Koo will attend the IMF meeting that brings together finance ministers and central bank governors from the 25 IMF member states, according to the ministry. Their discussions will cover the current global economic outlook, policy responses and the IMF's role in addressing emerging challenges.

During his stay in Washington, Koo plans to hold meetings with key counterparts, including finance ministers from major economies, such as Canada, and leaders of the IMF and World Bank.

Attention is focused on whether Koo will also meet with Bessent on the sidelines of the multilateral meetings as the two countries have made limited progress in negotiations following a framework trade deal reached in late July.

South Korea and the U.S. have been in talks about details of Seoul's US$350 billion investment package as part of a framework trade deal reached in late July, under which the U.S. agreed to lower its reciprocal and sector-specific tariffs for South Korea.

Seoul has reportedly demanded Washington establish a currency swap line, insisting such a massive direct investment may trigger a financial crisis for the country unless backed by necessary safeguards.