US to resolve key issues on FTA with Korea by Nov.

The United States is committed to resolving outstanding issues with a free trade deal with South Korea by November, the chief U.S. trade negotiator has said.

"The commitments in the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement will provide new opportunities for U.S. service providers and workers in services industries, so we look forward to resolving outstanding issues with the agreement by November's G-20 summit in Seoul and submitting it to Congress for approval in the following months,"

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk told the 2010 Global Services Summit, a gathering of service industries, in Washingto Wednesday, Yonhap News Agency reported Thursday in Washington.

U.S. President Barack Obama in June ordered Kirk to complete talks with South Korea over autos and beef before he flies to Seoul for the G-20 economic summit meeting. Obama would like to present the deal to Congress early next year.

Obama told a forum in Washington last week, "We're also working to resolve outstanding issues with our free trade agreements with our key partners like Korea, and to seek congressional approval as soon as possible."

Kirk echoed Obama's remarks.

"We are eager to resolve outstanding issues with the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement, because it has far-reaching market access commitments that extend across all major services industries," Kirk said. "Korea's services market is valued at nearly $560 billion, and our two-way trade in services with Korea is already over $21 billion per year."