The 4th Joint Study Group Meeting on a possible Korea-China FTA  was held from February 18 to 20 in Jeju, Korea. The Korean delegation, headed by Mr. Park Hyo-sung, Director-General for FTA Negotiations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, consisted of representatives from industry, government and academia. The Chinese delegation was led by Mr. Zhang Kening, Deputy Director-General of the Ministry of Commerce with a delegation of 30 members.

Both sides reached an agreement on the text of the report concerning such sectors as trade in goods(manufacturing industry), rules of origin, customs clearance, intellectual property rights, competition, economic cooperation and sanitary and phytosanitary measures.

Both sides agreed to hold the 5th meeting in Beijing in May or in June 2008 in order to draw the conclusion of the Joint Study and Recommendation after discussions on the remaining issues such as agriculture, forestry and fisheries as well as government procurement.

The Joint Study is not aimed at starting negotiations for the conclusion of free trade agreement between the two countries. In order to consider the possibility of initiating FTA negotiations with China, the Korean government plans to review the results of the Study and gather public opinions through public hearings or discussions with experts and with the industries to be affected by the bilateral trade agreement.