Dhaka, March 25 -- South Korea will launch a special probe into violations of the free trade pact with the United States regarding country of origin markings, the Korea Customs Service (KCS) said on Tuesday, ahead of US President Donald Trump's tariffs.

South Korea is among 20 countries worldwide, and one of only three in the Asia-Pacific region, that has a free trade agreement with the United States. Under this pact, nearly all tariffs are eliminated for goods traded between the two countries.

The KCS said it would investigate products exported to the US for violations in marking the country of origin, according to Reuters.

Authorities will take firm action against companies knowingly disguising foreign goods as South Korean products ...