Ministry of Trade Industry and Resources

Korea and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will hold the second official round of negotiations to upgrade the Korea–ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in Singapore from September 28 to October 1, 2026.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources (MOTIR, Minister JK Kim) said government delegations from both sides will attend the talks, with Park Geun-oh, Director General for Trade Agreement Policy at MOTIR, and Alpana Roy, Director-General at Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, serving as the chief negotiators for Korea and ASEAN, respectively.

Nearly 20 years after the Agreement on Trade in Goods took effect in 2007, Korea and ASEAN are pursuing a full-scale upgrade of the FTA to reflect changes in the trade environment and make the agreement more effective. After formally announcing the launch of upgrade negotiations at the Korea–ASEAN Summit in October 2025, the two sides held the first round in June 2026. Beginning with this second round, the two sides will move into substantive negotiations on rules across specific areas.

In the second round, the two sides will focus on improving rules across 13 negotiating areas, including critical minerals and supply chains, digital trade, intellectual property rights, and origin procedures. In particular, they aim to introduce up-to-date trade rules that set a higher standard than those in existing agreements, including the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), to which both sides are parties.

Through these negotiations, the two sides plan to reduce regulatory uncertainty in digital trade and support its expansion. On critical minerals and supply chains, they plan to strengthen the foundation for cooperation to build stable regional supply chains. They will also discuss introducing rules to strengthen protection for Korean companies’ intellectual property, including K-content.

“ASEAN, where the transition to a digital economy and the restructuring of supply chains are advancing rapidly, is a key economic partner for Korea,” said Director General Park. “Through these negotiations, we will make every effort to incorporate up-to-date rules that reflect the changing trade environment, including in digital trade, and strengthen supply chain cooperation in areas such as critical minerals, thereby building the institutional foundation for Korean companies to expand their business opportunities in ASEAN markets.”