India, Korea agree to address widening trade deficit
India and South Korea have agreed to address the widening trade deficit between the two countries within the overall framework of the bilateral trade pact, the Commerce Ministry said on Thursday.
The two nations also decided to constitute sub-groups to discuss cooperation in the areas of digital trade, supply chain and strategic industrial collaboration. The issue figured during the 12th round meeting on the up-gradation of the existing Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which was implemented in January 2010.
“Both sides acknowledged India’s bilateral trade deficit, which has risen significantly since the IK CEPA came into force in 2010, and agreed to address the issue within the overall IK (India-Korea) CEPA framework,” the ministry said.
India’s exports to Korea increased 3.31 per cent to $6 billion in 2025-26 from $5.81 billion in 2024-25. The export growth was negative during 2022-25.
Imports grew 1.38 per cent to $21.35 billion in 2025-26 from $21 billion in 2024-25.
The trade deficit widened to $15.35 billion in 2025-26, from $15.2 billion in 2024-25. The deficit stood at $14.71 billion in 2023-24, up from $14.57 billion in 2022-23 and $9.4 billion in 2021-22.
The ministry said that both sides reviewed the progress achieved so far in the negotiations.
During the current round, discussions were held on trade in goods, trade in services, rules of origin and origin procedures, investment, and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) standards.
The negotiations were co-chaired by Kapil Chaudhary, Joint Secretary, Department of Commerce, and Park Geun-oh, Director General for Trade Agreement Policy, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Republic of Korea.
According to experts, Indian exporters face certain non-tariff barriers in South Korea, including stringent standards, regulations and certification requirements, which make it difficult for Indian goods to penetrate the Korean market.
The two countries aim to double their two-way commerce to $54 billion by 2030 from the current $27 billion, while ensuring a more balanced trade relationship.
In a CEPA, two or more countries either significantly reduce or eliminate customs duties on the maximum number of goods added between and ease norms to promote trade in services and boost investments.
Generally, review or upgradation exercises of a trade agreement include implementation issues, rules of origin, verification process and release of consignments, customs procedures, further liberalisation of trade in goods, and sharing and exchange of trade data.
