The Beginning of Economic Integration Between East Asia and North America?—Forming the Third Largest Free Trade Area Between the United States and the Republic of Korea

摘要

On 2 April 2007, representatives of the United States and South Korean governments announced the successful conclusion of the free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations between the two countries.Both countries had started negotiating on the proposed FTA from when they announced the beginning of the negotiations in February 2006, conducting eight rounds of negotiations and high-level talks.The United States and Korea have maintained a strong military alliance and close economic relations throughout the past half-century. In 2006, trade between the United States and Korea amounted to nearly $ 77 billion a year, making the United States Korea's third largest trading partner and Korea the United States' seventh largest trading partner.