Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

Amid growing uncertainty in the global trade environment and calls for proactive trade policies to strengthen Korea’s export-driven economy, the sixth round of upgrade negotiations for the Korea–UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) will be held in Seoul from Monday, November 10, to Friday, November 14, 2025.

The Office of Trade Negotiations under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim) announced that delegations comprising around 60 officials from both countries will participate in the discussions. The Korean delegation will be led by Kwon Hye-jin, Director General for Trade Negotiations at MOTIR, and the UK delegation by Adam Fenn, Deputy Director at the UK Department for Business and Trade.

Following the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union (Brexit), Korea and the UK signed the Korea–UK FTA, which entered into force in 2021, based on the Korea–EU FTA. Since launching the first round of upgrade negotiations in January 2024, the two sides have held five official rounds and multiple intersessional meetings aimed at easing strict rules of origin, expanding bilateral trade and investment, and establishing a future-oriented cooperation framework to address supply chain disruptions. The sixth round will focus on remaining issues related to services and investment.

Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo, who visited the negotiation venue to encourage both delegations, stated, “The upgraded Korea–UK FTA will serve as a modern, comprehensive agreement encompassing not only additional market access but also emerging trade issues such as supply chain resilience and digital trade norms.” He urged the negotiators to make every effort to reach consensus on the remaining issues and to conclude the negotiations as swiftly as possible.