- 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
6-Apr-2012
Prices of certain imports from Europe and the U.S. have remained the same despite tariff cuts from free trade agreements with both economic blocs, the Fair Trade Commission in Seoul said Thursday.
6-Apr-2012
India plans to abolish the investor-state dispute system and renegotiate FTAs with South Korea, Singapore, and other countries, an Indian newspaper reported.
1-Apr-2012
Prime Minister Julia Gillard says she will raise the topic of free trade with the South Korean president, but a final deal could be some way off.
1-Apr-2012
Importers and distributors, not consumers, are the chief beneficiaries of free trade agreements (FTA). Korea badly needs drastic reform in the distribution channels as consumers are victims of price gouging.
26-Mar-2012
The governments of Korea and Turkey on Monday provisionally signed a bilateral free trade agreement, completing three years of negotiations.
20-Feb-2012
New Europe
The sides are nearing completion of agreement on their trade in goods but yet to sort differences over services and investment.
9-Feb-2012
Official procedures are under way toward negotiations for a free trade agreement between South Korea and China. Bilateral talks are expected to start some time around April or May.
5-Feb-2012
Deliberations to ink a free trade agreement (FTA) with Turkey will “soon” conclude successfully, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak told reporters in İstanbul on Saturday, signaling that talks which have been ongoing for almost two years between the two countries will finally yield fruit.
28-Jan-2012
The two dynamic economies of Asia, China and South Korea, have been enjoying close economic ties since 1992, when the two countries established diplomatic ties.
12-Jan-2012
Yonhap
Damage to Korea’s farming industry from a free trade agreement (FTA) with China may reach up to $2.8 billion, reports said Thursday, urging the Seoul government to be cautious in its FTA negotiations with China.
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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