The Korea Rural Economic Institute (KREI) held an international seminar on the theme of the “TPP and Counterstrategies of Agriculture and Vulnerable Industrial Sectors” from 2 p.m. on April 28 at The-K Hotel in Yangjae-dong, Seoul.

KREI President Choi Sei-kyun said in his opening address, “Because the TPP requires a high level of market opening, Korea’s participation in it would be a considerably sensitive issue in the vulnerable fields including agriculture,” mentioning that it was time to discuss the direction toward which the government should go.

Asian Trade Centre Executive Director Deborah Elms, Tokyo University professor Nobuhiro Suzuki, and Dr. Eor Myong-keun at KREI made presentations titled “The implications of the TPP for the agricultural sector,” “How to treat Japanese agriculture in Asian-Pacific FTAs: TPP and alternatives,” and “Implications of the TPP negotiations on products to Korean agriculture” respectively.

Many experts in the debate said, “It will not be too late to decide whether to join the TPP after Korea considers practical interest more carefully and examine exact details.”