Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy

ROK, China, Japan to Hold 8th Round of FTA Negotiations

  □ The Republic of Korea (ROK) will hold the eighth round of working-level negotiations for a trilateral free trade agreement (FTA) with China and Japan from July 20 to 24, 2015, in Beijing, China.   ○The three countries will send their delegations, led respectively by Yoo Myung-hee, director-general of FTA negotiations at the ROK’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE), Hong Xiao Dong, deputy director-general of the Department of International Trade and Economic Affairs at China’s Commerce Ministry, and Tatsuo Sato, deputy director-general of the Economic Affairs Bureau at Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.   * The trilateral FTA negotiations have been divided into working-level and chief negotiators’ talks, which take place separately, since the sixth round.   □ The ROK, China and Japan have held seven rounds of the trilateral talks under the principle of pursuing a "comprehensive and high-level FTA" since they declared the launch of the negotiations in November 2012.   ○They have addressed a wide range of issues including not only products, services, and investments, but also customs, trade remedies, sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS), technical barriers to trade (TBT), competition, intellectual property rights, e-commerce, environment, general principles, and cooperation.   □ The eighth round of talks will focus on key issues such as guidelines for negotiations on product concessions and the method for liberalizing services trade and investments, while more than 20 task forces or expert dialogues responsible for rules, areas of cooperation, and other issues will hold meetings to work out the details of the agreement and to exchange ideas on the key elements.   ○The eighth round of chief negotiators' talks is scheduled for September in China, based on the outcomes of the working-level meetings.   date2015-08-05

ROK Holds Preparatory Meeting for FTA with Six Central American Nations

      The Republic of Korea (ROK) held a preparatory meeting with six Central American countries in San Salvador, El Salvador, this week before starting negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA).   In the meeting, the ROK and the six nations decided on the principle that they would seek to conclude a high-level and comprehensive FTA and also agreed on detailed rules regarding the negotiations.   The first round of the FTA talks is scheduled to take place from Sept. 21 to 25, and subsequent rounds will be held every two months, the ROK's Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) said in a statement.   The six Central American countries are Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. date2015-07-31

MOTIE Minister Yoon Attends Forum on Eurasia-Korea Future

      Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Yoon Sang-jick attended New-Eurasia Forum Seoul 2015 in Seoul yesterday, which discussed the future of Eurasia and the Republic of Korea (ROK).   About 500 political and business leaders from home and abroad attended the forum, including Chinese Ambassador to the ROK Qiu Guohong and Russian Trade Representative to the ROK Mikhail Bondarenko. date2015-07-14

MOTIE Minister Yoon Meets with Pakistan's Commerce Minister and Australia's Ambassador

      Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Yoon Sang-jick greeted a visit by Pakistan's Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir Khan at his satellite office in Seoul last week.   During the meeting, the two ministers discussed various bilateral issues such as initiating a private joint study on a possible free trade agreement (FTA) between the Republic of Korea (ROK) and Pakistan.   Earlier in the week, Minister Yoon also met with Australia's ambassador to the ROK to exchange views on ways to promote bilateral economic cooperation with the implementation of the FTA between their countries. date2015-07-13

ROK and Tanzania to Strengthen Business Cooperation

      The Republic of Korea (ROK) and Tanzania are seeking ways to promote business cooperation as part of their efforts to develop a win-win economic partnership between the two countries.   Lee Sang-jin, director-general of the Economic Cooperation Bureau at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) of the ROK, stressed the importance of such a partnership at the ROK-Tanzania Business Forum 2015 held in Dodoma earlier this week.   About 300 business representatives from both countries attended this year's forum, which discussed various opportunities for Korean companies to tap into Tanzania's infrastructure projects and economic and industrial investment. date2015-06-30

Korea and Japan hold talks over import regulations on Japanese fisheries products

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) announced on June 26 that Korea and Japan held talks over Japanese fisheries products between June 24 and 25 at the WTO office in Geneva Switzerland, but only ended up checking the differences in views on the issue.     At the meeting, Japan repeatedly requested that Korea should immediately lift the ban because the action contradicts the transparency and scientific basis as required by the WTO SPS agreement.     In return, t date2015-06-26

Republic of Korea Starts Free Trade Talks with Six Central American Countries

Republic of Korea Starts Free Trade Talks with Six Central American Countries   The Republic of Korea has started negotiations for a free trade agreement with six Central American countries, including Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Paraguay.   MOTIE Minister Yoon Sang-jick and trade ministers from the six Central American nations declared the launch of the FTA talks during a meeting yesterday in Houston, the United States.   During the trade ministers' meeting, Mi date2015-06-19

Republic of Korea and China Formally Sign FTA

  □ The Republic of Korea (ROK) has formally signed a free trade agreement (FTA) with China, its largest trade and investment partner, opening a new era of bilateral cooperation in time of for the 23rd anniversary of their diplomatic relations.   ○ ROK Minister of Trade, Industry, and Energy Yoon Sang-jick and Chinese Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng hosted the signing ceremony at the Grand Hyatt Seoul Hotel on June 1, 2015.   ○ The two ministers signed and exchanged the English, Korean, and Chinese texts of the ROK-China FTA, completing the final formal step of their three-year negotiations that started in May 2012.   ○ The ROK-China FTA only awaits the procedures for its implementation in both countries such as ratification before its entry into force, bringing an end to a process that first started with a private joint study in 2005 and led to the substantial conclusion of the agreement on November 10, 2014, and its initialing on February 25, 2015.       □ In a meeting held before the FTA signing, the two trade ministers shared the view that the ROK-China FTA will not only expand bilateral trade and investment but also provide a cooperative platform between the two countries’ governments and companies that will serve as a new growth engine for all frontiers of the economy.   ○ They also exchanged views on bilateral trade issues in general, including the ROK-China industrial complex and regional economic integration projects such as the ROK-China-Japan FTA and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).       □ The ROK government plans to swiftly carry out the implementation of the ROK-China FTA so that people and companies of both countries can begin to enjoy its benefits as soon as possible.   ○ To this end, the government will submit a ratification bill to the National Assembly along with an evaluation of the ROK-China FTA’s effects on South Korea’s industries and counter-measures to strengthen those industries’ competitiveness in compliance with the Trade Agreement Procedural Law.   ○ The FTA will take effect 60 days after both countries notify each other in writing of the completion of their local procedures for the implementation or on a set date agreed upon by both parties.   * To obtain the Korean and English texts of the ROK-China FTA, please visit at our ministry’s FTA website.     date2015-06-19

MOTIE Seeks Manufacturing Innovation with U.S.

      The MOTIE's 1st Vice Minister Lee Kwan-sup delivered a congratulatory speech at the Republic of Korea-U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Innovation Forum held in Virginia yesterday.   During the forum, VM Lee stressed the need to promote industrial cooperation in manufacturing innovation between Korea and its second-largest trading partner.   About 150 officials and experts gathered to exchange ideas and share cases of manufacturing innovation, including Deputy Secretary of Commerce Bruce Andrews and U.S. Senator Mark R. Warner (D-VA). date2015-06-16

MOTIE VM Moon Urges OECD Countries to Work Together for Policy Coordination

MOTIE VM Moon Urges OECD Countries to Work Together for Policy Coordination   The MOTIE's 2nd Vice Minister Moon Jae-do attended the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)'s Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM) in Paris last week, which discussed the many challenges facing the global economy.   During a session on trade, VM Moon urged OECD members to join hands in policy coordination to promote inter-country trade and exchanged views on facilitating cross-country inv date2015-06-08