Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures - Delays in Korea's approval procedures for animal products - Specific trade concern 598 - Submission by the Republic of Korea

DELAYS IN KOREA'S APPROVAL PROCEDURES FOR ANIMAL PRODUCTS –

SPECIFIC TRADE CONCERN 598

SUBMISSION BY THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA

 

The following submission, received on 12 November 2025, is the statement made by the Republic of Korea at the 5-7 November 2025 WTO SPS Committee, and is being circulated at the request of the Delegation of the Republic of Korea.

 

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1.  The Republic of Korea takes note of the Russian Federation's continued interest in exporting beef to the Korean market. The Korean government conducts import approval procedures in the order in which applications are received, and we wish to inform you that the documents related to beef from three regions of the Russian Federation are currently under review in line with this established principle.

2.  We would recall that, on 30 June 2025, our competent authorities proposed convening a virtual technical meeting in July; however, a response from the Russian side has yet to be received.

3.  We therefore request that the Russian side provide its response at its earliest convenience so that scheduling can be finalized. It is our hope that this meeting will serve as a constructive platform to engage in detailed discussions on the raised issue.

4.  The Republic of Korea remains committed to maintaining close communication with the Russian side regarding the import approval process.