Seoul, July 20 -- South Korea's National Security Adviser, Wi Sung-lac, has departed for Washington, DC, with less than two weeks remaining before the August 1 deadline for tariff negotiations with the US, Yonhap News Agency reported.

This visit comes just 11 days after Wi's previous trip to the US, where he met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio from July 6 to 9, raising views that his latest trip is aimed at engaging with high-level counterparts to accelerate tariff negotiations.

However, the presidential office declined to confirm whether Wi has left for Washington. A ruling party bloc official, however, confirmed the top security adviser's departure, as reported by Yonhap News Agency.

During his earlier visit, Wi proposed a compre...