SEOUL - South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said Thursday that he was not sure about whether to reach a trade deal with the United States by July 8, a deadline set by US President Donald Trump to implement the so-called "reciprocal tariffs."

Lee told a press conference marking his 30 days in office that tariff negotiations were clearly not easy, saying it was difficult to say for sure whether to complete the negotiations by July 8, although his government was doing its best.

Seoul and Washington should produce mutually beneficial outcomes, but what each side demanded had yet to be clearly decided, the president noted.

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Lee said it is a difficult subject to say, as what he says itself can affect the negotiations, adding that his government will continue its best efforts.

Meanwhile, on his foreign policies, the president said that he "will protect peace and people's lives through national interests-centered pragmatic diplomacy based on a firm South Korea-US alliance, a close cooperation among South Korea, the United States and Japan, and a rapid improvement of relations with China and Russia."