The government will likely keep its ban on imports of Japanese seafood even though the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(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. 

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. 

With the RCEP, South Korea has its first FTA with Japan.