Is the FTA with South Korea in force for Guatemala?

According to the cited sources, no: as of Jul 2, 2026 Guatemala's Accession Protocol had not yet completed the steps MINECO describes for its entry into force. According to La Hora, the Korea–Central America FTA was signed on 21 February 2018 without Guatemala, which had not concluded the market-access work; according to DataExport (AGEXPORT), it entered into force for Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador and Panama between 2019 and 2021. Guatemala signed the Accession Protocol in January 2024, in Guatemala City according to Nicaragua's National Assembly. According to a La Hora article of 19 November 2025, deputies ratified the accession «la pasada noche» (the previous night); Decree 18-2025 was approved with 110 votes. According to MINECO, President Bernardo Arévalo signed Decree 18-2025 into law on 3 December 2025 and Korea's National Assembly also completed its approval. The next steps MINECO listed are: approval of the Protocol by the legislative assemblies of the Central American countries; then the exchange of diplomatic notifications certifying that internal requirements have been met; after that exchange, Guatemala's simultaneous notification to all States Parties; and the Protocol's entry into force 30 days afterwards (or on the date agreed between the countries). Nicaragua's National Assembly reported on Jul 2, 2026 that it had approved the Protocol unanimously and that Nicaragua is the first Central American country to ratify it. According to DataExport (AGEXPORT), Guatemala had been left behind in a market that in 2024 accounted for more than US$66.5 million in exports, mainly coffee, sugar and bananas.