South Korea and Thailand will launch official negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement(EPA) this week. 

South Korea's trade ministry said the two sides will hold the first round of negotiations in Bangkok from Tuesday to Thursday.

Led by Deputy Minister for FTA Negotiations Roh Keon-ki, the South Korean delegation will engage in talks with the Thai delegation headed by Chotima Iemsawasdikul, director-general of the Department of Trade Negotiations. 

They will discuss various areas including commodity, services and investment, government procurement and intellectual property. 

The two countries announced the opening of negotiations for an EPA in March and have since made preparations to launch formal talks through consultation between related organizations. 

An EPA is a trade agreement that includes the market opening elements of a free trade agreement(FTA) such as tariff elimination, but it is more focused on establishing a mutually beneficial trade network.