Congressional delegation heading to South Korea later this month

The group will meet “with several high-level Korean officials and tour businesses to learn about how American firms would benefit from a closer U.S.-Korea trading relationship” during the April 27 to 29 trip, the department said.

“On this trip, our delegation looks forward to gaining a first-hand understanding of how U.S. exports of goods and services will benefit from the market opening provisions of KORUS, which will translate into more jobs in America,” Locke said in the statement. 

The International Trade Commission (ITC) has estimated that the tariff cuts — the agreement eliminates tariffs on more than 95 percent of U.S. industrial and consumer goods within five years — will increase exports to Korea by $11 billion.

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk reiterated this week that the Korea agreement is ready to go — lawmakers and the Obama administration are working through the agreement’s technical issues, with President Obama pushing for action this spring — and said he expects it will have broad congressional support. 

U.S. officials are racing against the start of a deal between the European Union and Korea that will take effect in July, eliminating nearly of all duties on trade in manufactured and agricultural goods between the EU and Korea within five years.

While Korea agreed in December to provide broader access to U.S. automakers, which calls for a delayed phase-out of auto tariffs, Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) is still urging officials to push for the removal of restrictions on beef exports. 

The White House and Colombia announced a deal last week, and Panama completed its final major step on Wednesday night by passing a tax-transparency bill that is expected to lead to completion of the long-stalled agreement.

This story was updated at 7 p.m.