Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Woo Tae-hee

South Korea's government is seeking to sign free trade agreements (FTA) with China and Vietnam next month.

Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Woo Tae-hee said in a regular briefing that South Korea is in discussions with China and Vietnam to ink official agreements in May.

Woo said if the Korea-China FTA is signed next month, the government will submit a ratification bill to the National Assembly in the first half of the year, along with measures to strengthen the competitiveness of related industries and an assessment of the expected impact of the FTA, according to Korea's (KBS WORLD) website.

South Korea concluded its FTA negotiations with China in November and signed a provisional contract in February.

It concluded the FTA negotiations with Vietnam in December and signed a provisional contract last month.