Government approves trade pact with South Korea

September 22nd, 2009 South Korea approves sale of Apple's iPhoneSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea's telecommunications regulator said Wednesday it has given approval for Apple Inc.'s hit iPhone to be sold in the country — potentially shaking up a handset market controlled by domestic manufacturers. The Korea Communications Commission approved the sale of the device at a meeting attended by its five commissioners, said commission spokesman Lee Sang-hun.

August 29th, 2009 EU signs trade pact with southeast African nationsBRUSSELS — The European Union signed a temporary trade pact Saturday with Mauritius, Seychelles, Zimbabwe and Madagascar calling for tariffs on European goods to be removed over the next 15 years. The four countries in southeast Africa have had full access to the EU consumer market — the world's biggest — since the start of 2008 for most goods.

August 13th, 2009 KOZHIKODE - Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan Thursday once again expressed his concerns over the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) between India and ASEAN countries, and said the central government has ignored the pact-related issues the state has raised.

August 7th, 2009 South Korea, India sign free trade agreementSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea and India signed an ambitious free trade agreement Friday that slashes tariffs, encourages investment and promotes exchange of skills in a bid to double fast-growing commerce between two of Asia's biggest economies over the next decade. South Korean Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon and India's Minister of Commerce and Industry Anand Sharma signed what the two sides formally called a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, but which in reality is a free trade deal.

July 31st, 2009 SEOUL - South Korea will import Russian gas as part of a $100-billion pact signed by the two countries in September last year, WAM news agency reported Friday. South Korean Economy Minister Lee Yoon-ho will visit Russia in August to discuss the matter in detail, the report said.

July 13th, 2009 South Korea: Conclusion of FTA with EU nearSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea and the European Union are ready to announce the conclusion of their free trade talks, President Lee Myung-bak said ahead of a meeting Monday with Sweden, the current chair of the rotating EU presidency. "I think we can declare the conclusion of negotiations," Lee told South Koreans in a nationwide radio address broadcast Monday.

July 1st, 2009 South Korea's June trade surplus hits recordSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea's trade surplus hit a record high in June as a decline in exports caused by the global economic slowdown eased and imports fell, government data showed Wednesday. South Korea had a trade surplus of $7.4 billion in June, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said in a release.

June 27th, 2009 Japan, South Korea agree to tighter economic tiesTOKYO — Japan and South Korea have agreed to team up to nurse their economies back to financial health, Japanese Finance Minister Kaoru Yosano said Saturday. "We have reached a joint understanding that to ride out the current economic and financial crisis, Japan and South Korea will cooperate in a variety of settings," he told reporters.

June 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - The visiting South Korean Foreign Minister, Yu Myung-hwan, called on Minister of External Affairs S M Krishna in the capital on Tuesday. During his meet with External Affairs Minister S.M.Krishna, Yu Myung-hwan, who is leading a delegation of policy makers and industrialists from South Korea, discussed a wide range of bilateral and global issues.

June 23rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - India and South Korea are close to signing a bilateral economic partnership pact, apart from negotiating a double taxation avoidance treaty. This was announced at the end of the official meetings of the visiting South Korean foreign minister Yu Myung-hwan here Tuesday.

May 13th, 2009 South Korea's jobless rate falls to 3.8 percentSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea's unemployment rate fell to 3.8 percent in April, government data showed Wednesday, adding to signs the country's battered economy is improving. The jobless rate declined from 4 percent in March, the Korea National Statistical office announced.

May 1st, 2009 South Korea's April trade surplus hits recordSEOUL, South Korea — South Korea's trade surplus hit a record high for the second straight month in April as imports fell sharply on cheaper costs for oil and as declines in exports eased, the government said Friday. South Korea had a trade surplus of $6.02 billion in April, the Ministry of Knowledge Economy said in a release.

April 22nd, 2009 SKorean-US trade deal nears vote in legislatureSEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean parliamentary committee approved a free trade agreement with the United States on Wednesday, paving the way for the deal to be voted on by the entire legislature. Park Jin, chairman of the National Assembly's foreign affairs and trade committee, announced that his committee passed the trade pact, despite frantic efforts by opposition members to disrupt the session.

April 22nd, 2009 SKorean parliamentary committee approves US FTASEOUL, South Korea — A South Korean lawmaker says a parliamentary committee has approved a free trade agreement with the United States, paving the way for the deal to be voted on by the entire legislature. The approval was announced Wednesday by Park Jin, the chairman of the National Assembly's trade committee.

April 22nd, 2009 Melee breaks out in SKorea over US free trade dealSEOUL, South Korea — A melee broke out between rival South Korean politicians after the chairman of a parliamentary committee approved a proposed free trade agreement with the United States on Wednesday. Park Jin, chairman of the National Assembly's foreign affairs and trade committee, announced his committee passed the trade pact, despite frantic efforts by opposition members to physically disrupt the session.