- 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
12-Sep-2008
Xinhua
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the country has started assessing the impact of free-trade agreement (FTA) with Turkey, and is also seriously considering to start formal talks for FTA with Peru, Korea Herald reported Thursday.
2-Aug-2008
Korean negotiators say talks with Indian officials to strike a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement produced considerable progress.
30-Jul-2008
Xinhua
South Korea will push forward bilateral free trade agreements as the global trade talks under the World Trade Organization finished without progress, South Korean Deputy Trade Minister Ahn Ho-young said Wednesday
20-Jul-2008
Daily Yomiuri
Talks between Japan and South Korea on resuming negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement have been postponed indefinitely after Seoul said it was unhappy over a reference to the Takeshima islets in school handbooks
9-Jul-2008
AFP
South Korea and six Gulf states agreed Wednesday to forge a free trade deal by the end of next year, a chief negotiator from the Seoul side said.
8-Jul-2008
Yonhap
South Korea and India have held five rounds of CEPA (comprehensive economic partnership agreement) negotiations thus far, but the pact — which is similar to a free trade agreement — has yet to be concluded due to remaining disputes over rules of origin, services and agricultural trade.
3-Jul-2008
MySinchew
South Korea and the Gulf Cooperation Council will hold their first round of talks for a free-trade agreement in Seoul next week, seeking to establish a basic approach for negotiating the envisioned deal
27-May-2008
Korea Times
President Lee Myung-bak and Chinese President Hu Jintao agreed Tuesday to forge a "strategic partnership" between the two countries. The free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between Korea and China will be sought after joint research.
7-May-2008
The top Australian diplomat said Wednesday his country supports President Lee Myung-bak’s policy toward North Korea focused on dismantling its nuclear weapons program before providing economic aid. Foreign Minister Stephen Smith also expressed hope that the two nations will sign a free trade agreement as a way for boosting bilateral ties.
21-Apr-2008
Bloomberg
South Korean President Lee Myung Bak and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda failed to agree on resuming negotiations for a free-trade agreement when they met today in Tokyo for their first official summit.
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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