Seoul - The European Union and South Korea on Tuesday postponed concluding a Free Trade Agreement after reaching a tentative deal on almost all points, officials said.

Talks over the outstanding issues are to continue in early April on ministerial level at the sidelines of the G20 meeting in London, the chief negotiators of both sides said after the end of the formal negotiations in Seoul.

South Korean chief negotiator Lee Hye Min said that a "provisional" agreement has been reached on almost all pending issues after nearly two years of talks but the deal would only be binding when a final agreement was concluded.

Lee and his EU counterpart Ignacio Garcia Bercero said outstanding contentious issues included rules of origin for products and customs rebates in South Korea.

Talks about the ambitious agreement began in May 2007. The EU is South Korea's second-largest trading partner after China. (dpa)