- Negotiations
The government of South Korea has concluded, or is pursuing negotiations for, a number of bilateral free trade and investment agreements. Korean social movements have been mobilizing in opposition to these ever since the Korea-Chile FTA was proposed. So far, South Korea has signed deals with Chile (2004), EFTA (2004), Singapore (2005), ASEAN (2007) the US (2007, ratified in 2011), Peru (2011) and Turkey (2012). Talks are under way with Canada, China, Mexico, India, the EU and, technically speaking, Japan. Negotiations with Colombia have stalled over Colombia’s demands for access for better terms for its fruit and flower exports than what Korea gives Chile and Peru. Seoul is also looking to open discussions with Mercosur, Malaysia, Mexico and possibly Israel.
last update: May 2012
Photo: Joe Mabel / CC BY-SA 3.0
20-Sep-2019
Manila Bulletin
US authorities for the first time filed a complaint against South Korea under environmental rules of the free trade pact between Seoul and Washington, over illegal fishing.
9-Sep-2019
Business Korea
South Korean Economy and Finance Minister Hong Nam-ki said that the South Korean government would work on a free trade agreement with Russia in the goods sector as well as investment and service.
3-Sep-2019
The Strais Times
Trade and Industry Minister Chan Chun Sing said that at this point, the RCEP has gone beyond an economic agreement and is a strategic signal to the world’s economy on what countries in this part of the world believe in.
2-Sep-2019
Korea Joongang Daily
The free trade agreement with Britain should be completed before the country’s scheduled exit from the European Union, said Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.
13-Aug-2019
Q Costa Rica
Nicaragua is the first Central American country to establish a date of entry into force of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with South Korea, which is agreed for October 1, 2019.
31-Jul-2019
Yonhap News
South Korean government plans to seek a revision of labor laws in a way that will strengthen workers’ right to organize as it pushes for a parliamentary ratification of key international labor standards.
17-Jul-2019
Middle East Monitor
Israel media have revealed that the new South Korea-Israel Free Trade agreement will exclude goods produced in the occupied territories of Jerusalem and West Bank and the Golan Heights.
15-Jul-2019
Yonhap News
The presidents of South Korea and Israel agreed to push for an early deal in talks on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) during a summit in Seoul.
9-Jul-2019
Pulse News
The South Korean government will initiate the third trade agreement (TA) talks with four member nations of South American trade bloc Mercosur on Friday (local time) in Montevideo, Uruguay, to seek ways to increase exports to the countries.
3-Jul-2019
Korea Herald
South Korea will hold the second round of negotiations with Chile on revising their bilateral free trade agreement that went into effect in 2004.
Links
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KoPA is a coalition of around 50 NGOs, social movement organizations, political parties, peasant organizations and trade unions working, among other things, to stop bilateral and regional free trade agreements and the WTO.
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