The government plans to expand South Korea's free trade agreement(FTA) network from the current 85 percent to a world-leading 90 percent of global gross domestic product(GDP).

In a trade policy roadmap announced on Thursday, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration pledged to bolster strategic cooperation with four major regions, the U.S., the European Union(EU), Japan, and China, and to closely manage trade issues with them.

Seoul is also seeking to expand the scope of economic cooperation with the so-called "Global South," including ASEAN, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, Africa, and South America, to establish a foothold for export growth, production, and diversification of key mineral supply chains. 

The government will actively push for economic partnership agreements(EPAs) with resource-rich and rapidly growing countries in Asia and Africa, while also seeking swift FTA ratifications with Ecuador and the Gulf Cooperation Council(GCC).

The roadmap comes in response to the weakened multilateral trade system centered around the World Trade Organization(WTO) and the trend among major economies to prioritize national interests for economic security.