1 THE CABINET OF MONGOLIA ADOPTS RESOLUTION ON MEASURES TO INCREASE COAL EXPORTS WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/17      2 TRUMP’S SECOND COMING: MONGOLIA WATCHES THE CHAOS WITH CAUTION WWW.THEDIPLOMAT.COM PUBLISHED:2025/04/17      3 MONGOLIA CONSIDERS ACQUIRING 34% STAKE IN EIGHT POTENTIAL STRATEGIC DEPOSITS WWW.NEWS.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/17      4 PRICE OF GOLD JUMPS BY USD 693.9 PER OUNCE COMPARED TO 2024 WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/17      5 MORTGAGE PAYMENT RATE STANDS AT 97.8 PERCENT WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/17      6 BEYOND BORDERS: CASA RINALDI EXPANDS TO MONGOLIA WWW.CASARINALDI.COM PUBLISHED:2025/04/17      7 NUMBER OF PASSENGERS CROSSING MONGOLIAN BORDER INCREASES BY 290,200 IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2025 WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/17      8 MONGOLIA'S FOREIGN TRADE TURNOVER DOWN 8.3 PCT IN Q1 WWW.XINHUANET.COM PUBLISHED:2025/04/16      9 CHAIRMAN OF THE STATE GREAT KHURAL OF MONGOLIA RECEIVES VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE NATIONAL PEOPLE'S CONGRESS OF CHINA WWW.MONTSAME.MN PUBLISHED:2025/04/16      10 WHAT MONGOLIA CAN LEARN FROM SOUTH KOREA’S WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WWW.THEDIPLOMAT.COM PUBLISHED:2025/04/16      УУЛ УУРХАЙН БОРЛУУЛАЛТ 1.5 ИХ НАЯДААР БУУРЛАА WWW.NEWS.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/17     НИЙГМИЙН ДААТГАЛЫН САНГИЙН ОРЛОГО ӨМНӨХ ОНЫ МӨН ҮЕЭС 315.5 ТЭРБУМ ТӨГРӨГӨӨР ӨСЖЭЭ WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/17     Б.ЖАВХЛАН: ӨНГӨРСӨН ДОЛОО ХОНОГТ ЭКСПОРТЫН ОРЛОГО 40 ГАРУЙ САЯ АМ.ДОЛЛАРООР НЭМЭГДСЭН WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/17     Н.УЧРАЛ: ХУДАЛДААНЫ ТАРИФЫН СӨРӨГ НӨЛӨӨЛЛИЙГ БУУРУУЛАХ 10 АРГА ХЭМЖЭЭГ УИХ-Д ЯАРАЛТАЙ ГОРИМООР ӨРГӨН БАРИНА WWW.EAGLE.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/17     ХАНГАЙН БҮСИЙГ АЯЛАЛ ЖУУЛЧЛАЛЫН ТӨРӨЛЖСӨН БҮС БОЛГОН ХӨГЖҮҮЛНЭ WWW.MONTSAME.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/17     Д.ПҮРЭВДОРЖ: УИХ-ЫН ГИШҮҮД, САЙД НАР “ЭРДЭНЭС ТАВАНТОЛГОЙ” ДЭЭР 500 МЯНГА, САЯ ТОННЫН ГЭРЭЭГ 2,3 АМ.ДОЛЛАРЫН ЗӨРҮҮ АВЧ ТҮРҮҮЛЖ НҮҮРС ГАРГАДАГ WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/17     ХӨШИГИЙН ХӨНДИЙН ОНГОЦНЫ БУУДЛЫГ АНХНААС НЬ ШАТАХУУН ЦЭНЭГЛЭХ ЦОГЦОЛБОРГҮЙ БАРЬСАН НЬ ОРОСТ ДАВУУ ТАЛ БОЛОВ WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/17     ЗГ-ААС ХИЛ ЗААГИЙГ ТОДОРХОЙЛОХ СТРАТЕГИЙН НАЙМАН ОРДЫН ГУРАВ НЬ ТӨРИЙН МЭДЭЛД, ТАВ НЬ ХУВЬД БАЙНА WWW.EGUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/16     ТӨСВИЙН ОРЛОГО 6.1 ИХ НАЯД ТӨГРӨГ БОЛЖ, ӨМНӨХ ОНООС 1.2 ИХ НАЯД ТӨГРӨГӨӨР БУУРЧЭЭ WWW.GOGO.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/16     СУРВАЛЖЛАГА: НООЛУУРЫН ХАНШ 110-125 МЯНГА ГЭХ Ч ХЯТАДУУД АВАХГҮЙ БАЙНА WWW.EGUUUR.MN НИЙТЭЛСЭН:2025/04/16    

South Korea and Mongolia: A Growing Partnership www.insidemongolia.mn

Mongolia and South Korea establish diplomatic relations in 1990, marking the start of their cooperation. Over the years, this relationship strengthens, evolving into a close partnership.
Another One Besides Japan
To date, Mongolia has a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) exclusively with Japan. For the past 2 years, Mongolia has been negotiating a similar agreement with South Korea, and the draft is now finalized. This development raises public concerns, fearing that "South Korea to take the best parts, leaving Mongolia with the scraps." But what exactly are these "best parts" and "scraps"?
Broad Scope: Beyond Trade Tariffs
South Korea, unlike Mongolia, has free trade agreements with 22 countries. The proposed agreement with Mongolia consists of 14 chapters, covering trade, services, and investment, making it more than just a tariff reduction deal, it focuses on broader economic cooperation.
Under this agreement, both countries are expected to grant mutual tariff reductions, ease trade barriers, improve the investment climate, align trade regulations, and expand collaboration in the service sector.
 However…
South Korea's presence in Mongolia's infrastructure, mining, and cultural sectors is expanding. For instance, KT Group to begin importing rare earth elements from Mongolia, and South Korea is involved not only in metro projects but also in railway developments. In this context, we import $956 million from the country since 2023, but our exports are 5 times less than that.
To conclude… Japan, Mongolia's only FTA partner, provides Mongolia with significant non-repayable aid. Strengthening ties with South Korea offers clear advantages, but we need to ensure that the benefits to be balanced.The draft provisions of the free trade agreement are designed to promote mutual economic growth, but careful consideration is necessary to address potential imbalances and ensure that both nations benefit equitably from the partnership.

 



Published Date:2025-03-18