Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo met with ambassadors from South America's Mercosur countries Thursday to discuss ways to deepen economic cooperation, including trade agreement negotiations between Korea and Mercosur, Yeo's office said. Yeo met with the ambassadors of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, which form a South American trade bloc called Mercosur, in Seoul to discuss possible reopening of negotiations for a trade deal between Korea and Mercosur and strengthening cooperation in supply chains, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Resources. Mercosur is the largest economic bloc in South America, with a combined population of 290 million and gross domestic product of $2.7 trillion. The bloc also holds abundant mineral resources, including lithium and nickel, widely used in advanced industries. Korea and Mercosur have held seven rounds of trade negotiations since 2018, but the talks have stalled since the latest round held in August 2021. "Mercosur is a very important cooperation partner for Korea seeking market diversification and supply chain stabilization as the glob