The government will not amend a free trade accord with the United States, Seoul's top trade official said Wednesday, as the two countries are set to hold talks to iron out remaining issues with the deal.
The free trade pact between Korea and the United States was signed on April 2, 2007, but still awaits ratification in the legislatures of both countries.
Last week, U.S. President Barack Obama announced a plan to restart discussions on a free trade agreement (FTA) with South Korea. Washington made it clear that the outstanding issues to be discussed include non-tariff measures related to autos and beef.
"Such things (revision of the text) will not take place," South Korean Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon said in a briefing. "It would be working-level consultations as both sides have agreed on everything."
After a meeting with President Lee Myung-bak in Canada on the sidelines of the G-20 gathering last week, Obama said he wants every remaining issue related to the trade deal to be resolved before November.
"I want to make sure that everything is lined up properly by the time I visit (South) Korea in November" for the next G-20 session, Obama said. "A few months after that, I intend to present it to Congress."
Obama opposed the agreement during his 2008 presidential campaign, but said in previous meetings with Lee that he wanted to work to win approval of the pact.
Kim said a concrete timetable has not yet been decided as the U.S. side did not officially propose any request. "I don't want to sacrifice the balance of interest reflected in the trade deal just because of being pressed for time," he said.
U.S. officials said they want to address concerns over the lopsided auto trade and restricted shipment of U.S. beef before bringing the deal to Congress.