Expand your business with the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement 

Advantages and opportunities of the Canada–Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA) for growth in South Korea.

Under the CKFTA, 99% of Canadian exports now qualify for duty-free access to South Korea giving Canadian businesses preferential entry into the market. Upon full implementation in 2032, 99.75% of tariffs on bilateral trade will be eliminated. In other words, CKFTA’s reduced and eliminated tariffs will allow you to price your goods more attractively in South Korea, therefore outpacing competitors from countries without a free trade agreement in place that don’t have the same tariff benefits.  

The Agreement helps you get your products through South Korean customs faster and more efficiently by simplifying the process. It provides clear rules on products' origins and allows businesses to get advance rulings on product origin or tariff classification, providing certainty on how your goods will be treated at the South Korean border.

The Agreement ensures these advantages are not undermined by lack of transparency or unjustified trade restrictions. For example, the CKFTA promotes the use of internationally accepted standards and backs up strong disciplines on non-tariff measures with efficient dispute settlement provisions. These measures take out some of the guessing games when trading goods and services with South Korea by making it more predictable.

South Korea is a key gateway to the Asia-Pacific region and is ideally located to facilitate trade with other Asian markets. Its prime location makes it a valuable entry point to expand to other countries in Asia. By doing business in South Korea, your business can access other regional supply chains and position your business for growth in the region.  

Explore essential tools to help you navigate CKFTA and other free trade agreements.

• The CKFTA website offers comprehensive information on the agreement.
• The key Canadian economic sectors provides details on the sectors which benefit most from the CKFTA.
• The Canada Tariff Finder provides tariff information for your specific products in countries where Canada has a free trade agreement.
• The Global Bid Opportunity Finder (GBOF) provides global public sector bid opportunities in foreign markets.
• The Rules of Origin Facilitator enables you to find import duties in foreign markets, available duty savings, detailed rules of origin, and certification procedures, for your specific products.
• Learn more about doing business in South Korea. 

Get a clear view of how the CKFTA can help your business grow and learn to make the most of the FTA by watching the videos below.

• Overview of the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement (CKFTA)
• Benefits of the CKFTA for the agriculture and agri-food sectors

Do you have questions about technical barriers to trade and/or a regulation under one of Canada's Free Trade Agreements? Write to Global Affairs Canada at consultations@international.gc.ca.