Korea's Free Trade Agreements and Environmental Protection

Since the conclusion of its first free trade agreement (FTA) with Chile in 2003, Korea has actively been engaged in FTA-making with its trading partners to maximize economic benefits from trade and expand its presence in overseas markets. In dedicated chapters or elsewhere, Korea’s FTAs typically contain provisions on environmental protection ranging from general exceptions to more specific provisions that prevent relaxation of environmental laws, recognize the right to regulate, encourage public participation in tackling environmental matters, set forth sustainable development commitments, promote environmental cooperation, establish specialized institutional mechanisms and so on. The breadth and depth of environmental provisions vary from agreement to agreement. This chapter aims to review and identify main characteristics and patterns of environmental regulation across Korea’s FTAs and draw out key messages for addressing trade-and-environment issues.