South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Wednesday it will have the first round of preliminary free trade meetings with China on thorny issues later this month before kicking off official negotiation process.

According to the ministry, the meetings will be held in Beijing on Sept. 28 -29, during which the two sides will share views on thorny sectors, such as agricultural products.

While the South Korean delegation will be led by Lee Tae-ho, director of the FTA Policy Planning Division, the Chinese side will be headed by Yu Jianhua, director general of international trade and economic affairs, the ministry said.

In May, China and South Korea wrapped up their nearly four-year joint feasibility study on an FTA and accordingly agreed to exchange views on sensitive issues about it.

While China is South Korea's largest trading partner, importing the largest amount of local goods, South Korea stands at the third rank in terms of the amount of imports.