The United States hopes to finish the revisions of a free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea before June 30, South Korean chief negotiator for the bilateral FTA said on Thursday.
U.S. Chief negotiator, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Wendy Cutler expressed her hope to complete talks on revisions by the end of this month, said Lee Hye-min, South Korea's deputy chief negotiator to the talks, after ending Thursday's negotiation.
The South Korean side is reviewing the U.S. proposals and is in the process of deciding on whether to accept the proposed revisions, Lee said.
South Korean chief negotiator Kim Jong-hoon and his U.S. counterpart Cutler launched their two-day negotiation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Seoul on Thursday.
Cutler said Wednesday that the renegotiation won't alter the balance achieved in the previous negotiations, adding she was looking forward to a "productive negotiation."
The two side will talk about labor issues, environmental standard, intellectual property rights, essential security, pharmaceuticals, government procurement, port safety and investment during their negotiation, local media reported.
South Korea and the United States had reached a FTA pact in early April after 10 month of touch negotiation. The pact needs to be approved by the parliaments of both country before taking effect.
However, the U.S. Congress argued that April's FTA pact should reflect tougher environmental and labor standards. Last week, the United States asked to renegotiate on the FTA deal. Seoul accepted it later.