South Korea and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) finalized negotiations on a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on Oct. 14, marking South Korea’s 24th FTA and its first with a Middle Eastern country. The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), signed by South Korea’s trade minister Ahn Duk-geun and the UAE’s foreign trade minister Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, aims to enhance economic relations and bilateral trade. The agreement will see the removal of tariffs on 92.8% of all traded items by South Korea and 91.2% by the UAE within a decade. This move is expected to benefit South