Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps his Department is taking to increase bilateral trade with (a) South and (b) North Korea.

Total trade between UK and South Korea was £14.9bn in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2018, an increase of 8.4% from the previous four quarters.

As we leave the EU we are working to ensure trade can continue to grow by securing continuity of South Korea’s FTA with the EU. Technical work is progressing well through the UK-Korea Trade Working Group, which was established by ministers in December 2016.

There is a broad sanctions regime in place on North Korea that prohibits trade in a number of sectors. The UK has not taken any specific steps to increase our trade with North Korea at this time.