The nation has been removed from the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) watch list for intellectual property rights, but the U.S. continues to express concern over Internet piracy in South Korea.

It is the first time the country has been absent from both the USTR Watch List and Priority List since the inception of the report 20 years ago.

The removal is an international recognition that the nation’s intellectual property rights protection level has improved to those of advanced nations.

The development should serve as an advantage in future trade negotiations with other countries, but the USTR has warned that if South Korea’s ongoing problem of Internet piracy isn’t improved, the nation could be returned to the watch list.