- 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
18-Jul-2011
Korea Times
Both Korea and Colombia agree in principle on the need for a fast free trade agreement (FTA) but they just cannot nail it because Korea is not ready to accommodate what Colombia wants ― better terms for its fruits and flowers than what Korea gives Peru and Chile.
12-Jul-2011
Chief trade officials from Korea and Colombia agreed to closely cooperate for an early conclusion of their free trade negotiations, Seoul’s trade ministry said yesterday.
12-Jul-2011
A senior U.S. senator on Monday proposed a joint "mock conference" by the Senate and the House of Representatives to help resolve a deadlock over trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.
9-Jul-2011
The South Korean and Chinese governments recently resumed preliminary ministerial discussions on sensitive areas prior to beginning discussions on a free trade agreement (FTA).
4-Jul-2011
A free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and the European Union took effect on July 1. A close look at South Korea’s strategy for securing FTAs with EU and the United States — although the U.S. Congress has not approved the deal — could give us a fresh perspective for reviewing Taiwan’s economic strategy.
5-Jun-2011
The embarrassing translation errors in Korea’s free trade agreements have revealed the government’s weakness in translation skills and a startling overconfidence in its civil servants’ foreign language abilities.
30-May-2011
Mexico, like Korea, is a country heavily dependent on exports to sustain its economic growth, but the two countries are currently not seeing eye-to-eye over a possible trade deal.
24-May-2011
South Korea needs to sign additional free trade agreements (FTAs) quickly with as many countries as possible to keep its trade growing, a report said Tuesday.
26-Apr-2011
A local trade group urged the government Monday to quickly implement the country’s free trade agreements (FTAs) with the United States and the European Union, saying the country is still far behind the global average in terms of FTA-generated trade.
4-Apr-2011
Yonhap
Korean companies should be prepared for fierce competition with Japanese rivals in India following New Delhi’s signing of a free trade agreement with Tokyo, a local trade body said yesterday.
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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