India and South Korea hold 12th round of India-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IK CEPA) upgrade talks

Key facts

• India and the Republic of Korea held the 12th round of negotiations to upgrade the India-Korea Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IK CEPA) in New Delhi from May 25 to 27, 2026.
• The negotiations were conducted pursuant to a Joint Declaration signed on April 20, 2026, by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Korean Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo.
• The talks were co-chaired by Kapil Chaudhary, Joint Secretary in the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, and Park Geun-oh, Director General for Trade Agreement Policy at South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE).
• Discussions focused on Trade in Goods, Trade in Services, Rules of Origin and Origin Procedures, Investment, and Sanitary and Phytosanitary standards.
• India and South Korea decided to constitute sub-groups to explore cooperation in digital trade, supply chain cooperation, and strategic industrial cooperation.