A public hearing was held in Seoul on Friday on follow-up negotiations to the South Korea-China free trade agreement(FTA). 

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy held the hearing to collect opinions from citizens and experts on the follow-up talks on further opening markets in the service and investment sectors.

The hearing is a step that needs to be taken for Seoul and Beijing to launch such negotiations. 

When they put into effect their trade pact in December 2015, South Korea and China had stipulated that they would launch the follow-up negotiations within two years. 

The government will go over the opinions collected through the public hearing and devise plans. It plans to launch the first round of follow-up negotiations after wrapping up a briefing to the National Assembly.

Deputy Minister for Trade Kang Sung-cheon said the government's goal is not only to further open China's service market, but to strengthen protection for investors and create a stable investment environment.