ⓒYONHAP News

Tuesday marked the tenth anniversary of a bilateral free trade agreement between South Korea and the United States, as the trade pact came into effect in March 2012.

According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy on Monday, the bilateral trade volume of goods soared by 66-point-one percent in the past decade to 169-point-one billion dollars last year from about 100 billion dollars in 2011 before the KORUS FTA went into effect.

U.S. goods accounted for nine-point-three percent in 2011, but the figure grew to 13-point-four percent last year, elevating the U.S. to South Korea's second-largest trading partner.

After the FTA went into effect, South Korea's exports to the U.S. grew by 61 percent, while its imports from the U.S. increased by 69 percent.

South Korea maintained its trade surplus with the U.S. during the period, with the surplus rising from 15-point-two billion dollars in 2012 to 22-point-seven billion dollars last year.