South Korea and Britain have launched the third round of negotiations to upgrade their bilateral free trade agreement(FTA). 

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said the two sides kicked off the three-day talks in Seoul on Monday, with about 60 officials from the two nations taking part. 

The two countries plan to accelerate discussions in sectors such as services, supply chains, digital trade and biotechnology. 

The existing FTA was signed in 2019 and took effect in January 2021 after Britain left the European Union.

When President Yoon Suk Yeol visited Britain last November, the two nations declared they would engage in talks to upgrade the trade pact, and the first round of negotiations took place in Seoul in January.

After the July 4 election in Britain the trade talks were put on hold, and this latest round is the first under the country’s new Labor government.