South Korea says it is willing to consider adopting a tariff system for rice imports if its trading partners continue to push what Seoul calls "excessive demands" in future negotiations.

South Korea's chief negotiator, Lee Jae-gil, said the government would decide the best course of action to take if it is forced to reconsider the right to limit rice imports to four percent of domestic consumption.

Lee said that South Korea would be facing pressure to adopt the tariffs if negotiations break up, but stressed that such pressure does not guarantee an "automatic shift" to the tariff system.

Faced with what it called "excessive demands" from its major trading partners, South Korea announced last week it had decided to extend discussions on the opening of its rice market beyond September.

South Korea is obliged to complete negotiations with World Trade Organization members over the opening of the rice market by the end of this year.

Under the 1994 Uruguay Round agreement, South Korea was given a grace period of ten years to enjoy special treatment regarding rice imports.

The price of South Korean rice is four times higher than international prices, and the surplus reached 7.6 million seok last year. One seok equals 144 kilograms.