UPDATE 1 — South Korea's Lee says commercial viability a sticking point in US investment talks

Negotiators still working through issues despite investment agreement largely finalised, Lee says Points of contention included returns, profit-sharing and loss-making projects Scale of further US chip investments tied to corporate decisions, Lee says (Adds Lee quote and detail on planned semiconductor investments in paragraphs 3-9) By Heejin Kim and Kyu-seok Shim SEOUL, Sept 18 (Reuters) — South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Friday that concerns over the commercial viability of a planned US investment package under its trade deal with Washington had become a sticking point in negotiations, although the two sides were nearing an agreement. Lee told a news conference some elements of the package were difficult for Seoul to accept, but said the government would continue discussions to ensure any deal protects South Korea's interests while benefiting both countries and the broader US-South Korea relationship. The allies have continued negotiations on implementing a trade deal struck last year, under which Seoul committed to invest $350 billion in US manufacturing in return for lowering tariffs on Korean imports to 15%. Lee said Seoul had insisted on including a reference to "