The US and South Korea need to resolve disputes, including one over trade in beef, to smooth the way for negotiations on an eventual free-trade agreement, or FTA, according to a senior US trade official.

Recently confirmed Deputy US Trade Representative Karan Bhatia, briefing reporters on a recent visit to Asia, said US and South Korean trade officials have discussed "a number of trade issues" with the goal of resolving them.

"I want to stay away from the notion there are preconditions to an FTA," Bhatia said. "We do need to have demonstration of a strong trading relationship and a commitment by both sides to a strong FTA before we launched it."

Last summer, US Trade Representative Rob Portman said the administration of President George W. Bush would decide whether to embark on trade talks with South Korea by the end of this year.

"Everyone recognizes that when you work back from the fact that (Trade Promotion Authority) TPA expires at the end of '06, if we are going to launch we would need to do something early in the new year, that's just simple math," Bhatia said.

Trade Promotion Authority gives Bush permission to negotiate trade agreements on behalf of Congress and then submit them for congressional approval without amendment. The current authority applies to all trade agreements signed before July 1, 2007.

Bhatia, whose portfolio includes Asia and Africa, just concluded a tour of several cities in both regions with USTR Portman, including trade meetings of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation in South Korea.

He said the US urged South Korea to lift its ban on imports of US beef.

South Korea banned imports of US beef in December 2003 after the discovery of a cow infected with mad-cow disease in the state of Washington. Prior to the ban, South Korea was the third-largest export market for US beef, worth $1.3 billion annually. The US argues that its testing procedures ensure beef is safe and that South Korea's broad ban on beef, milk and some sheep and goat products isn't consistent with scientific evidence of their safety.

The US has also complained about South Korea's barriers to US-made films and barriers in the pharmaceutical, automobile, and telecommunications industries. (Dow Jones)