Korea and China will meet for their fourth round of free trade negotiations next week in the southeastern city of Gyeongju. During the three-day meeting, the two sides will try to draw up negotiation guidelines for each sector and classify which items will be treated as being "sensitive."

The negotiation is being conducted in two stages, with trade officials discussing the handling of sensitive items and the scope of the accord before moving on to the next level.

However, Choi Kyung-lim, Seoul's deputy minister for trade, said Thursday it could be some time before the negotiations reach the second stage as Korea and China have differing views on the scope of the deal.