Officials from South Korea and China have held a joint briefing for businessmen from both countries regarding the Seoul-Beijing free trade agreement(FTA) that took effect last December.

The first briefing of its kind was held at a hotel in Beijing on Friday aimed at boosting bilateral trade by informing the businessmen on the advantages of the FTA.

It was attended by officials from South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency(KOTRA) and China’s Ministry of Commerce and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.

Lee Ho-dong, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy’s official for domestic commerce affairs, said the event aimed to expand awareness on the accord among Chinese importers and create “synergy” between firms from both countries.

South Korean officials also held talks on the sidelines for businessmen on a free trade agreement consultants’ group based in Beijing. The group’s formation follows that of a support center for firms trying to utilize the FTA at KOTRA’s China branch.