WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- Top Korean and U.S. trade officials will meet in Washington next week to launch formal consultations on ways to smooth implementation of the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), an official said Friday.

The meeting on Wednesday between South Korean Trade Minister Bark Tae-ho and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk is "the first Joint Committee meeting under KORUS," Carol Guthrie, spokeswoman for Kirk's office, told Yonhap News Agency.