South Koreaโ€™s government will reconsider whether to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, stepping back from a process that had recently moved toward public consultation. Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung told a parliamentary audit on October 7 that the discussion would restart from the beginning, with the sensitivity of the agricultural sector and the need for adequate safeguards considered alongside the potential benefits.

The announcement followed President Lee Jae Myungโ€™s instruction at a Cabinet meeting a day earlier not to rush toward a predetermined conclusion. Lee called for renewed dialogue from the starting point. Song also left open the possibility that the review could end without an application, saying no decision had been made and that the government would weigh the national interest and public opinion.

Presidential instruction
Restart dialogue without assuming that membership is the final outcome
Ministerial statement
Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung announced the review on October 7
Decision status
Both accession and a decision not to join remain possible

The reconsideration highlights a sharp divide in the governmentโ€™s own economic projections. Its impact analysis estimated that CPTPP membership could leave real gross domestic product 0.38 percentage points higher a decade after the agreement takes effect. Manufacturing output could increase by as much as 6.7 trillion won a year on average over the following 15 years, while greater market access could reduce agriculture, forestry and fisheries production by about 850 billion won annually.

The governmentโ€™s estimates expose the sectoral trade-off

Farmers and fishing communities therefore face the clearest immediate risk from lower trade barriers, while export-oriented manufacturers could gain broader access to overseas markets. The government had previously argued that an open, trade-dependent economy needs additional free trade agreements and that sectors benefiting from liberalization should help compensate those bearing the losses. A proposal to expand an agriculture and fishing community cooperation fund to 1 trillion won had also been discussed.

The review does not amount to a rejection of CPTPP membership. Its practical significance will depend on whether the government develops compensation and adjustment measures that affected producers consider credible, and whether it resumes a formal accession process after consultations. The next indicators will be the scope of talks with agricultural and fisheries groups, any revised impact assessment, and details of funding or other protections intended to offset losses from market opening.