Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said he has secured commitments from South Korean authorities that Ireland's application for beef access will be progressed to the next phase of the process by the end of the year.
Mr McConalogue is in Seoul as part of a trade mission and today met with So Byung Hoon, member of the National Assembly of South Korea and Chairman of the Agriculture Committee.
"In advance and anticipation of my bilateral meeting today, the issue of Irish beef access was discussed by the Korean Parliament's Agriculture Committee this week," Mr McConalogue said.
"I was delighted to secure a commitment from Mr So that he will move to have this stage completed by the end of this year.
"This would clear the way for the final stage in the process which is approval of the Irish beef plants who wish to export to Korea," he added.
Earlier, Mr McConalogue visited a meat market in Seoul as part of efforts to progress Ireland's beef access application.
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney and Minister for Further and Higher Education Simon Harris are also taking part in the trade mission to South Korea, with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar due to join them tomorrow.
Ahead of the visit, Mr Varadkar vowed to strengthen ties with South Korea.
"During the week, I will meet with President Yoon to discuss how we can strengthen our partnership," Mr Varadkar said.
"I will also raise the wide range of areas where Ireland and Korea are already working together such as climate change, global insecurity, threats to democracy and the rule of law."
The Irish Government delegation is holding a series of meetings aimed at opening up new trade, investment and education links with the world's 13th largest economy and the fourth largest economy in Asia.
The cross-Government trade mission marks the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Ireland and the Republic of Korea.
Enterprise Minister Simon Coveney and Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue attended a business breakfast in Seoul this morning.
"As high tech and export driven economies, Ireland and the Republic of Korea have many similarities and shared values in the international rules-based trading system, making it an important anchor point for Ireland in Asia," Mr Coveney said.
Higher Education Minister Simon Harris is visiting a number of universities and meeting his counterparts to discuss the development of strong partnerships between the two countries and to promote Ireland's new International Education and Innovation strategy.
He will also announce a new Ireland-Korea English Language Student Alumni Network and Student Ambassador Scholarship scheme.
"There are already many strong links and collaborations between our universities but there is space to further collaborate," Mr Harris said.
"Ireland has a unique offering to our international partners, based on an advanced economy, a native English-speaking society and a multi-cultural, inclusive and rich learning and research experience," he added.
Mr Harris visited a memorial to the 159 people killed in a crowd crush during Halloween celebrations in Seoul last year.
He left a note expressing his condolences over what he described as a horrific, tragic loss.
