South Korea and the United States are reportedly in talks to create a dedicated desk to handle the import approval process for U.S. fruits and vegetables such as apples and pears. Until now, South Korea’s Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency assigned staff by region, including North America and South America, but not by individual country. A new U.S.-specific desk is expected to speed up the approval process, potentially paving the way for American produce to enter the Korean market sooner.
The government announced on Aug. 5, following the first meeting of a growth strategy task force chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol, that “as a result of tariff negotiations, the two countries have agreed to strengthen cooperation on sanitary procedures for importing U.S. fruits and vegetables.” According to a Chosun Ilbo report, the plan includes creating a dedicated “U.S. Desk” to oversee new import approvals. A government official said it would be operated by assigning dedicated staff rather than creating a new agency.
Although tariff barriers were removed under the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 2012, South Korea has continued to regulate imports of U.S. fruits and vegetables through an eight-step pest risk analysis. More than 10 items are currently in the process, including apples at step two, pears at step three, and potatoes at step six. With a dedicated U.S. desk, the approval process could move faster.
Agricultural market access has been one of the most sensitive issues in South Korea-U.S. trade talks. The South Korean government has stressed that the recent deal does not include any further market openings for rice, beef, or other farm products. But plans to set up a dedicated U.S. Desk to approve American produce have raised concerns that the fruit and vegetable market may be opening gradually. Jang Sang-sik, head of the Institute for International Trade at the Korea International Trade Association, said, “This is effectively a loosening of trade barriers, and the volume of U.S. fruit and vegetable imports is likely to grow more quickly.”
Designating a dedicated U.S. desk is seen as a practical way to address Washington’s calls to ease non-tariff barriers in Korea’s agricultural market. The eight-step pest risk assessment required for importing fruits and vegetables is mandated under the World Trade Organization’s sanitary agreement and applies to all WTO members. South Korea has codified this process in its Plant Protection Act, making it impossible to skip or remove steps even at the request of the U.S. As a result, the only viable option is to speed up progress through each stage, and a dedicated desk could help streamline approvals.
Among U.S. farm products, apples are likely to benefit the most. The U.S. first requested import approval in 1993, but the process remains at step two of eight. South Korea has delayed approval to protect local apple farmers, while the U.S. has given apples lower priority than beef or lemons. A Ministry of Agriculture official said, “Importing and exporting countries decide together which items undergo pest risk assessments, and apples have always been lower on the U.S. list.”
These priorities are typically determined during an annual bilateral plant quarantine meeting between South Korea and the U.S. While the two sides exchange letters between meetings, major decisions are generally made only once a year. A U.S. Desk could shorten the meeting cycle or speed up correspondence, potentially advancing the process for apples.
Other U.S. produce, such as pears at step three and apricots, plums, and pomegranates at step one, could also see faster movement through the risk analysis. The U.S. currently exports potatoes from 22 states to Korea and has requested approval for an additional 11 states, which are now in step six, the final stages of the process. However, a ministry official stressed that “the risk analysis is a scientific process and cannot be artificially accelerated.”