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Korea's Trade Minister Kim Hyun-chong and Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Karan Bhatia finally reached agreement in a bilateral meeting at the Hyatt Hotel in Seoul on Monday.

A still image of breaking TV news that Korea and the U.S. have finally reached a free trade agreement./Provided by YTN

Though the negotiators reached an agreement, a difficult process lies ahead. For the deal to take effect, it needs to be screened by the Ministry of Government Legislation and a Cabinet meeting and approved by President Roh Moo-hyun before it is putting before the National Assembly for ratification. If everything goes as scheduled, the FTA will take effect around 2009.

(englishnews@chosun.com )