WASHINGTON (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the United States launched a ministerial consultation channel Wednesday on implementing their bilateral free trade agreement, dubbed KORUS FTA.
"We established a very effective and efficient communication channel between the two countries in managing KORUS FTA," South Korean Trade Minister Bark Tae-ho said at a forum hosted by the Peterson Institute for International Economics.
He was referring to the first Joint Committee meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk in Washington earlier in the day.
The committee is mandated under the KORUS FTA, which took into effect in March. The ministerial mechanism is tasked with supervising the operations of 19 subcommittees and working groups aimed at the smooth implementation of the accord, including solving disputes over interpretations of the terms.
"Basically speaking, we established the highest level of channel. By having the first meeting of the Joint Committee, we opened all of the related committees and working groups. So, whenever they want they can meet now without an administrative decision," Bark said.
He added, "We didn't talk about any specific issues."
The minister said the matter of beef imports was not on the agenda.
The South Korean government has come under pressure from opposition parties and other critics to suspend imports of American beef following a case of mad cow disease in California last month.
Bark reiterated that Seoul has maintained a "very cautious position" on the issue, which he said has become a volatile topic ahead of the December presidential elections.
On the investor-state dispute (ISD) clause in the KORUS FTA, Bark said it will be handled in the service and investment committee, to convene in the coming weeks.