European Union and South Korea

This book offers insights into the state of EU-Korea relations and considers potential lessons for other bilateral and regional initiatives. The past decade has witnessed a proliferation of bilateral and regional cooperation in all parts of the world. The EU and South Korea have both been involved in this trend. In 2010, they launched a strategic partnership in order to strengthen their trade, economic and political ties. This partnership is underpinned by a number of important legal instruments, including the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement and the EU-Korea Framework Agreement. This book analyses the development of EU-Korea relations and the role that these treaties play in the development of the strategic partnership. The book contains contributions by European and Korean experts in international law who each examine a particular aspect of the legal framework for EU-Korea relations, analysing the scope and substance of the relevant legal rules, as well as the opportunities and challenges for future cooperation. The contributions cover a wide range of policy areas, including trade, competition, and investment, as well as cooperation in non-economic areas, such as environmental protection and security policy. The contributions to this volume aim to offer insights not only into the state of EU-Korea relations, but also potential lessons for other bilateral and regional initiatives. The main case study is the EU-Korea strategic partnership. Regular comparisons are made with the Korea-US relationship. Various chapters discuss the implications of the EU-Korea FTA and Framework Agreement for future EU agreements with third states.