South Korea, Indonesia seek fresh momentum for trade pact with new talks

South Korea and Indonesia convened the second joint committee under their bilateral free trade agreement in Seoul on Wednesday, the first such meeting in three years, as the two sides looked to lift corporate use of a pact that took effect in 2023.

The industry ministry said its trade agreement policy official, Park Geun-oh, and Johni Martha, director general of international trade negotiations at Indonesia's trade ministry, led their respective delegations.

The meeting followed through on a commitment made in a joint statement at an April summit between the two countries' leaders to hold the committee regularly so that companies make more use of the agreement. It was the second such gathering since the first committee met in December 2023.

The delegations reviewed each side's progress in considering import permits for Indonesian poultry products and Korean dairy goods, and checked on the implementation of an electronic system for exchanging certificates of origin. They also discussed ways to encourage companies to use the Korea-Indonesia CEPA more actively and agreed to keep talking on how the pact is carried out.