Vice Finance Minister Kim Yong-beom said Thursday that the government will decide by the end of this month on whether to maintain Seoul's developing country status under the World Trade Organization(WTO). 

In a meeting with farmer groups in Seoul, the vice minister said that the government will make its final decision on the matter after considering a diverse range of factors, including the economy and farmers' concerns.

The government held a similar meeting two days ago as well to collect farmers' opinions, but it fell through over disagreement on disclosing the gathering to the media.

At the Tuesday meeting, the farmers' groups presented six demands, which included a special committee led by the prime minister and an increased budget for agriculture to four to five percent of the total budget. 

While pledging continued support to help enhance the competitiveness of the domestic agriculture industry, the vice minister said that 15-point-three trillion won would be allocated to the sector for next year, a four-point-four percent increase and the largest such bump in ten years.