Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

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

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

Following the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union (Brexit), Korea and the UK signed the Korea–UK FTA, which took effect 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 conclude the negotiations as swiftly as possible.