Extradition treaty with China to be signed Wed.

The foreign ministers of Korea and China will sign a bilateral extradition treaty on Wednesday at Chong Wa Dae, the presidential office in Seoul, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Monday.

The treaty, which will cover the extradition of criminals who have been convicted and sentenced to a prison term of one year or longer, will provide a legal foundation for the effective bilateral prevention and suppression of crimes and reinforce the implementation of the agreement on criminal and judicial cooperation between the two countries that went into effect in March, the ministry said.

The Seoul government has similar accords with Australia, Canada, Spain, the Philippines, Paraguay, Chile, Mexico, the United States, Mongolia, Argentina, Brazil and Thailand, meaning the new pact with China will be the 13th.

Boo Hyung-Kwon bookum90@donga.com