South Korea ASEAN FTA Upgrade Talks Set to Begin

South Korea and ASEAN will begin formal negotiations this week to modernise their trade agreement and deepen cooperation in emerging sectors.

The South Korea ASEAN FTA upgrade discussions will cover areas including the digital economy, critical minerals, supply-chain resilience and future trade facilitation.

The first round of negotiations will be led by Park Geun-oh of South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources and Alpana Roy, ASEAN’s director general for international trade.

The existing South Korea ASEAN FTA framework includes agreements covering goods, services and investment signed between 2006 and 2009.

ASEAN is South Korea’s third-largest trading partner, with Korean exports to the bloc reaching USD122.5bn in 2025. Both sides aim to expand annual trade flows to USD300bn by 2029.

The negotiations reflect growing efforts to strengthen regional economic integration and diversify supply chains amid shifting global trade dynamics.