CPTPP members open 99.4% of seafood market — fisheries ministry to hear industry concerns

With member countries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership averaging 99.4 percent seafood market openness, the South Korean government plans to hear directly from fishing industry stakeholders before deciding whether to join the pact. Key concerns on the agenda include market disruption from tariff elimination on seafood, potential restrictions on fishery subsidies, and the possible import of seafood from Japan's Fukushima region.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said Monday it will hold a roundtable with fishing industry representatives Tuesday at the ministry's main conference room to discuss the implications of joining CPTPP.

CPTPP is a multilateral free trade agreement involving 12 countries, including Japan, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Vietnam and the United Kingdom. Member countries have opened an average of 99.4 percent of their seafood product categories to trade — higher than the 87.8 percent average under South Korea's existing FTAs and the 85.1 percent under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

At the 273rd Foreign Economic Ministers' Meeting on Aug. 27, the government decided to begin public consultations and stakeholder outreach without prejudging whether to join. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy also convened an expert advisory session on Sept. 4 to discuss how to address potential damage to the farming and fishing sectors from accession.

Representatives from major fishing industry groups — including the National Federation of Fisheries Cooperatives, the Korea Fisheries Business Federation and the National Federation of Fishermen's Associations — will attend Tuesday's roundtable.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will examine the potential impact on the fisheries sector under various accession scenarios and discuss on-the-ground concerns and possible countermeasures. The main agenda items are market disruption from seafood tariff elimination, the possible curtailment of fishery subsidies such as tax-exempt fuel for fishing vessels, and concerns over imports of seafood from Fukushima.

Concerns from the farming and fishing sectors over CPTPP membership have persisted for years. Accession talks in 2021 and 2022 were suspended after agricultural and fisheries groups opposed the move, citing the high market openness rate, the potential elimination or reduction of subsidies under CPTPP's subsidy disciplines, and fears over Fukushima seafood imports.

The government announced last September that it would review CPTPP membership as part of efforts to diversify export markets, and in November of that year the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy began a formal accession review. Since last month, the government has been conducting economic impact analyses and sectoral assessments while launching broader public consultations to gather views from stakeholders, including the farming and fishing industries.

Following Tuesday's session, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries plans to hold regional roundtables with fishing groups across five areas nationwide from October — covering Busan and South Gyeongsang Province, South and North Jeolla Province, Jeju, the Gyeonggi-Incheon and Chungcheong regions, and Gangwon Province and North Gyeongsang Province.

"CPTPP is a critical issue for our economy in terms of expanding export markets and stabilizing supply chains, but the impact on the fisheries sector and the burden on fishing communities must also be fully considered," Vice Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Nam Jae-heon said. "In line with the government's principle of entering discussions without a predetermined conclusion, we will listen carefully to the concerns of fishing communities and work together to find the right path forward."