Trump mulling withdrawal from Korea trade deal

WASHINGTON - 3 Sep 2017: US President Donald Trump said Saturday he is weighing whether to start the process of withdrawing from a free trade agreement with South Korea, with the US Chamber of Commerce urging its members to respond with "all hands on deck" and stop a decision that could come as early as next week, Politico reported on its website.

"It's very much on my mind," the president said of the trade deal, according to a press pool report, adding that he is discussing the matter with his advisers.

Earlier Saturday, a senior administration official confirmed that the president's divided team is debating the future of the agreement.

The administration official cautioned that a final decision has not yet been made, but opponents of the trade deal are quietly preparing options for a withdrawal.

Some of Trump's top advisers -- including National Economic Council Chairman Gary Cohn -- have privately raised red flags about pulling out of the agreement. It's the latest infighting over trade among the president's influential advisers.

Neither the White House or the Office of US Trade Representative confirmed or denied the possible move. The news was first reported Friday night by Inside US Trade and then reported Saturday by the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post."

However, administration officials noted that the United States and South Korea have been in talks on revamping the pact, also known as KORUS.

"Discussions are ongoing, but we have no announcements at this time," a White House spokeswoman said.