S. Korea seeks to begin FTA talks with Central America

South Korea will call on Central American nations this week to begin negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA), the foreign ministry said Thursday.

First Vice Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yong will deliver the call during a meeting with member nations of the Central American Integration System in Guatemala City on Friday, the ministry said in a press release.

SICA, which was launched in 1991 to promote political and economic integration in the region, is made up of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize and the Dominican Republican.

"Vice Minister Cho plans to announce the completion of domestic procedures needed to declare the start of negotiations for a South Korea-Central America FTA and ask the Central Asian nations to begin negotiations," the statement said.

South Korea has signed a total of 15 FTAs involving 52 countries. Its latest and probably most significant free trade pact was reached with China late last year.

During the meeting, South Korea and the SICA nations also plan to discuss ways to deepen cooperation, especially in the areas of public safety, energy and infrastructure.

A rise in crime in the region has raised concerns about the safety of some 250 South Korean businesses and 12,000 South Korean nationals living in Central America. (Yonhap)