The European Commission has warned it will move forward with a free trade agreement(FTA) conflict resolution mechanism if South Korea fails to ratify key international labor conventions.

EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom delivered this message Tuesday during a meeting with South Korea's Labor Minister Lee Jae-kap in Seoul.

She said that the ratification of International Labor Organization(ILO) provisions, which is required under the Korea-EU free trade agreement, has been delayed in South Korea for years. 

Malmstrom said the European Union will inevitably need to launch an expert panel to review Korea's compliance with the FTA it signed with the EU if it fails to produce tangible progress regarding the ratification at an early date.

Once the EU requests such a panel, three experts will be assembled to look into whether the delay in ratification constitutes a violation of the Korea-EU FTA. The panel will then adopt a report outlining its findings and recommendations.

Seoul's labor minister said the ratification of ILO conventions is a key government task and related bills are pending in parliament.