- 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
1-Dec-2025
Korea Post
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR) announced that South Korea and Serbia have begun their first official round of negotiations for a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), taking place in Seoul from December 1 to 4.
11-Nov-2025
Pulse
South Korea and the United Kingdom are set to begin talks next week to finalize an upgraded Free Trade Agreement (FTA), focusing on business-friendly rules of origin and digital trade standards.
17-Sep-2025
The Korea Times
Mexico and Korea are poised to revive stalled Free Trade Agreement (FTA) talks, driven by a $29 billion trade volume and strong bilateral investment, with both nations seeking deeper economic integration.
8-Sep-2025
Yonhap
Both countries will work to speed up the talks to reach a forward-looking agreement that addresses newly emerging economic issues, including digital trade and supply chain resilience.
3-Sep-2025
The Chosun Daily
South Korea has officially signed its first free trade agreement under President Lee Jae-myung’s administration: the Strategic Economic Cooperation Agreement (SECA) with Ecuador.
22-Aug-2025
Fibre2Fashion
British and South Korean officials yesterday agreed to speed up talks to upgrade a bilateral FTA as part of their efforts to expand trade and investment. Five rounds of negotiation are over and both sides pledged to complete the talks by the year end at a bilateral senior economic dialogue in Seoul.
7-Jul-2025
Korea JoongAng Daily
Korea and Britain commenced the fifth round of follow-up negotiations in Seoul to upgrade their FTA. The talks, running through the week, focus on enhancing trade by easing product origin regulations and introducing new rules involving supply chains, digital trade, services, investment, and government procurement.
25-Jun-2025
Yonhap News Agency
South Korea and China have kicked off a fresh round of follow-up negotiations aimed at expanding their bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) to include services and investment.
23-Jun-2025
The Korea Herald
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged the need to upgrade the Korea-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) during their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Canada.
5-Jun-2025
1tv.ge
Georgia and the Republic of Korea conducted the fifth round of negotiations on the draft Agreement on Bilateral Promotion and Protection of Investments.
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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