South Korea has launched full-scale public discussions and consultations on possible membership in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a step widely viewed as the start of a formal domestic debate rather than a decision to apply. Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said the talks aim to strengthen middle-power cooperation, stabilize key supply chains and diversify export markets as higher U.S. tariff barriers and rising protectionism reshape the global trade environment. The 2018 pact now has 12 members, including Japan, Australia, Canada, Britain and Mexico, accounting for about 15 percent of global GDP; eleven other economies, including China and Indonesia, have applied. Officials say accession could ease trade barriers with Mexico, where Seoul lacks a bilateral free trade agreement, and improve market access with Japan beyond the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP). Trade, Industry and Resources Minister Kim Jung-kwan cautioned that even a decision to apply would not guarantee entry. Agriculture and fisheries groups remain the main obstacle, citing CPTPP members’ average 96.3 percent tariff elimination on agricultural and food products, with farmers’ groups calling membership a “death sentence” for domestic agriculture and the agriculture ministry insisting on sufficient consultation before any move.