South Korea and Singapore report partial progress in their talks on a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA).
The Foreign Ministry said Thursday that the two sides failed to settle remaining differences on service sector investment, intellectual property rights and government procurement.
However, the ministry was quick to add that significant progress was made on the issue of origin of product and telecommunication services. Agreements on financial services, customs procedures and trade facilitation were also reached.
In a statement, the ministry said Seoul will seek to sign an FTA with Singapore by the end of this year after finding common ground on unresolved issues this month.
Meanwhile, the statement said the two countries will extend their talks in Singapore to reach agreements on quarantine measures, technical barrier and conflict resolution.