Asia-Pacific

ROK, Japan to resume free trade deal talks

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-06 16:34

SEOUL - South Korea and Japan are scheduled to hold next week working-level talks aimed at restarting negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement, the trade ministry here said Friday.

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The talks, to be held next Monday in Seoul, will center on issues including conditions for resuming the stalled negotiations and non-tariff barriers, according to the ministry.

The second round of one-day talks follow the first one last September in Tokyo, initiated after leaders of the two Asian powerhouses agreed on the need to resume talks aimed at striking a two-way free trade accord.

Initial negotiations, which began in 2003, unraveled due to differences in manufacturing and agricultural sectors.