South Korea and the United States agreed to craft a package of deals aimed at removing new U.S. tariffs before the pause on reciprocal tariffs is lifted in July, Seoul's delegation said after the first round of trade talks in Washington.

SEOUL (Reuters) -A South Korean delegation will meet U.S. counterparts on Thursday for an opening round of trade talks, with cooperation on shipbuilding and energy expected to be on the agenda, and possibly shared defence costs, as Seoul seeks lower tariffs.

The country is a major exporter to the US and giants such as Samsung Electronics and automaker Hyundai stand to take a hefty hit if the White House goes ahead with its threatened 25 per cent "reciprocal" tariffs.