The United States and the Republic of Korea signed the United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) on June 30, 2007. If approved, the Agreement would be the United States’ most commercially significant free trade agreement in more than 16 years. The U.S. International Trade Commission estimates that the reduction of Korean tariffs and tariff-rate quotas on goods alone would add $10 billion to $12 billion to annual U.S. Gross Domestic Product and around $10 billion to annual merchandise exports to Korea. Under the FTA, nearly 95 percent of bilateral trade in consumer and industrial products would become duty free within three years of the date the FTA enters into force, and most remaining tariffs would be eliminated within 10 years. As the first U.S. FTA with a North Asian partner, the KORUS FTA could be a model for trade agreements for the rest of the region, and underscore the United States commitment to, and engagement in, the Asia-Pacific region.
About Free Trade Agreements With South Korea
- U.S. Relations With Republic of Korea
- Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs
- U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (USTR)
- U.S.-Korea FTA Sectoral Benefits (Department of Commerce)
- U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement (Department of Commerce)
- USDA-Korea Free Trade Agreement (USDA)
- U.S.-Korea Business Council
- American Chamber of Commerce in Korea