Seoul, Nov 18 (IANS): US Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai arrived in South Korea on Thursday for talks on pending trade issues such as supply chains for key components and steel tariffs.

Tai's four-day visit marked the first time in 10 years that a top US trade official has visited South Korea, reports Yonhap News Agency.

She is slated to meet South Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo on Friday for the joint committee meeting of the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA), and to have separate talks with Labour Minister An Kyung-duk on workers' rights and related trade policy.

On Saturday, she will have a meeting with female leaders from public and private sectors before leaving for India the following day, according to her office.

Key agenda at the Tai-Yeo meeting includes how to boost bilateral cooperation in global supply chains and tariffs on exports of Korean-made steel and aluminium.

Seoul and Washington have agreed to work more closely to ensure the resilience of supply chains for key components, including semiconductors, following a global supply shortage of chips and other major industrial items.

Tai will "meet with government officials and stakeholders to discuss the enduring US commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and to strengthen trade and economic relationships with key allies and partners", the office of the USTR added.