India's liberalised trade regime with South Korea and three key Asean countries- Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia has become operational from today. Indian exports to Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia accounting for over 90 per cent of the India-Asean 44-billion US dollars trade, will also be given easy access on about 4,000 tariff items. The countries will also slash duties on several products like seafood, chemicals and apparel among others. An official said, the remaining seven Asean members will take a few more months to get the India-Asean trade pact, which needs to be internally approved or ratified by their parliaments.<br/><br/>Under the Indo-Korean Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), which includes services, Indian professionals from as many as 163 sectors, including IT, English teaching, consultancy and engineering, will be eligible for temporary visas up to one year in Korea. Under this agreement, customs duties will also be reduced or eliminated on as many as 93 per cent of Korea's tariff lines which includes tyres, electrical goods, vehicle parts and petroleum products. In fact, half of the country's USD four billion exports to Korea will be exempted from duty right away.<br/><br/>India and South Korea signed the CEPA on 7th August, 2009 in Seoul. The domestic industry welcomes the move saying the agreement will help double the 10-billion US dollars commerce between the two countries over the next five years. The free trade agreement with Asean was signed on 13th August, last year.