Trade officials have announced that South Korea and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) have launched joint free trade agreement (FTA) study talks in Jakarta on Monday.

The two-day meeting comprises preliminary talks on a prospective FTA between South Korea and the 10 ASEAN member states. The meeting is the first of at least three scheduled rounds of dialogue.

According to South Korean officials, the two sides are to decide whether to open formal FTA negotiations after reviewing the results of the joint study talks.

Kim Han-soo, the South Korean foreign ministry's FTA director-general, is leading his country's 10-member delegation, while David Chin, Singapore's director general of the commerce and industry bureau, heads up the ASEAN group.

The meeting is the latest in a series of efforts by South Korea to push for FTAs with other countries, following its parliament's ratification of a trade pact with Chile in February. Seoul is also engaging in FTA talks with Japan and Singapore, and has proposed to hold such talks with Mexico.