S. Korea, EU to hold fresh round of free trade talks in December

SEOUL, Nov. 29 (Yonhap) -- Trade negotiators from South Korea and the European
Union plan to hold a new round of talks next month with the aim of forging a free
trade agreement, a Seoul official said Saturday.

The two sides launched the talks in May last year and had hoped to reach an
agreement by the end of last year. But little progress was made due to
differences over industrial tariffs and other sensitive issues.
South Korea and the EU plan to hold the new round of talks from Dec. 15-17 in
Vienna of Austria, according to the official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and Trade.
The EU has been critical of South Korea's protective stance in opening its auto
market.
"It's not easy to find a balance of interests for both sides," said the official.
"But we will make major efforts to narrow differences as soon as possible."
The stakes are high, with bilateral trade between South Korea and the EU reaching
some US$80 billion last year.
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