South Korea and China will launch the ninth round of follow-up negotiations to their free trade agreement(FTA) to bolster ties in the services and investment sectors.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said that about 20 South Korean and Chinese trade officials will hold virtual meetings from Monday through Friday.  

The two countries kicked off their bilateral FTA in December 2015 and have since held eight rounds of FTA follow-up talks to discuss market opening in the sectors of services, investment and finance and to enhance the protection of investors. 

In the ninth round of talks, the two sides will discuss the wording of an agreement and key issues in those sectors. 

A ministry official said that during the meeting, the negotiators will try to set more details and make progress on opening up the service market and protecting investors.