NEWS BRIEF

[Anchor Lead]

As the main opposition People Power Party begins to openly talk about unifying the presidential candidacy with People’s Party’s Ahn Cheol-soo, PPP leader Lee Jun-seok said given Ahn’s position, using public opinion polls to choose a single candidate is not the right way. Lee noted Ahn’s public support has dropped compared to earlier this month. He said some in the PPP also believe Ahn’s supporters may not readily throw support for Yoon Suk-yeol even if the two decide to merge. Lee added that considering the political timetable, Ahn should be making some kind of decision by no later than this weekend.
Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo and Britain's Secretary of State for International Trade Anne-Marie Trevelyan held the first meeting of a Korea-UK FTA trade committee on Monday in London. It marks the first anniversary of the effectuation of the two countries’ free trade agreement. In the meeting, the two sides examined the trade deal’s implementation and agreed to begin talks this year to upgrade the agreement. Since the FTA took effect on January 1 last year, bilateral trade jumped investment rose.