Seoul: South Korea's top trade negotiator vowed Thursday continued efforts to safeguard Seoul's trade interests, after Washington announced a trade probe into 16 economies to uncover "unfair" trade practices.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo made such a remark in a press briefing held after the office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) announced an investigation into South Korea, China, Japan, and 13 other economies under Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act. This probe aims to identify "unfair" trade practices related to "structural" excess capacity and production.

"The government will closely consult with the U.S. side so as to not harm the balance of profits secured through the Korea-U.S. tariff agreement and secure treatment no less favorable than that granted to other major countries in the course of the U.S. inquiry," Yeo said.

The minister explained that the USTR office has officially notified the Korean government about the probe's opening. He elaborated that Washington's move seems to aim at restoring trade-related measures it had imposed on partners before the U.S. Supreme Court struck down U.S. President Donald Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs.

South Korea previously faced 15 percent reciprocal duties before last month's ruling, and it currently faces a 10 percent global tariff imposed by Washington to replace the reciprocal duties.

"The U.S. investigation under Section 301 is a structural probe targeting a lot of countries, not only Korea," Yeo noted, emphasizing that the Seoul government has continuously communicated to Washington that South Korea's trade surplus with the United States results from many Korean firms investing in U.S. manufacturing industries.

The Seoul government plans to submit a written opinion on the USTR probe by April 15, after consulting with domestic industries, and actively participate in USTR's public hearing sessions scheduled from May 5.

Regarding other pending trade issues with the U.S., such as Seoul's probe into a massive data leak incident involving U.S.-listed e-commerce firm Coupang Inc., Yeo stated that the latest USTR investigation is unrelated to this issue or other trade barriers.

"But we need to closely manage issues involving digital regulations that can potentially evolve into trade conflict," he said, noting that the USTR may open additional trade investigations in the future.