South Korea has united with Japan and China to work towards strengthening free trade.
This has been clear since the South Korean Industry Minister Ahn Duk-Geun received his Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao and Japanese equivalent Yoji Mutoi in Seoul on Sunday.
Ahn says in a statement that the three countries must find "common" answers to the global challenges they face.
"The conditions regarding economy and trade are characterized today by increased fragmentation of the global economy", it says in the statement.
The meeting takes place at a time when the world economy is in turmoil due to US President Donald Trump's aggressive tariff policy.
