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The world’s largest free trade agreement(FTA), known as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(RCEP), came into effect in South Korea on Tuesday.

This came in line with the regulations for the RCEP to come into force 60 days after a country deposits the instrument of ratification to the Secretariat of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN).

The RCEP took effect in ten countries, including China and Japan, on January 1 after they completed ratification procedures earlier than South Korea.

The latest effectuation is expected to further widen South Korea’s overseas markets to include games and films in addition to existing export items such as automobiles, steel and parts.

The RCEP involves the ten ASEAN members and five other Asia-Pacific countries - South Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. Their combined trade volume, population and nominal gross domestic product make up 30 percent of the world's total.

South Korea's exports to RCEP member countries takes up about half of its total export volume.

The government will likely keep its ban on imports of Japanese seafood even though the RCEP has gone into effect in the nation.

A foreign ministry official told Yonhap News Agency on Wednesday that the government believes that addressing the public’s concerns over Japanese fishery products must come first based on its principle of placing the health and safety of Korean people as a top priority.

The official’s remarks indicate that Seoul has no plans to lift the ban until Japanese seafood products are confirmed to be safe.

The official’s comments came a day after Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno called on Seoul to lift the ban, citing the RCEP that went into effect in South Korea earlier that day.