South Korean and Japanese officials are putting on their politest smiles and heading to Washington. Akazawa Ryosei, the minister leading negotiations for Japan, visited the White House on April 16th and donned a MAGA hat.

South Korea said it requested exemptions from reciprocal and item-specific U.S. tariffs, and offered cooperation on shipbuilding and energy and in addressing trade imbalances.

South Korea’s economy contracted in the first quarter after large-scale wildfires and political turmoil over its president’s impeachment suppressed consumer sentiment and business activities.