The fourth Trade and Industry Forum opened in Seoul on Tuesday with discussions centered on the global trend of trade protectionism.
 
Vice Trade Minister Woo Tae-hee pledged at the forum that the South Korean government will employ all possible measures to discourage countries around the world from taking excessive, unfair protectionist policies.
 
As part of the efforts, he said in detail that South Korea will expand strategic cooperation with major countries while curbing trade protectionism and supporting free trade at multilateral channels and international organizations. 

The nation will also pursue free trade talks with Israel and other emerging countries in Latin America and actively participate in efforts to reorganize the current global trade order via large-scale free trade pacts, such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
 
The annual Trade and Industry Forum was launched in May 2013 to gather opinions from industry insiders and reflect them during trade negotiations. The regular session is held once a year while section meetings are frequently held.