FTA with Seoul unacceptable, says USTR nominee
Chosun Ilbo | 11 March 2009
FTA with Seoul Unacceptable, Says U.S. Nominee
The U.S. trade representative-designate on Monday said Washington’s free trade agreement with Seoul was unfair in its current state and warned his government could ditch the deal. The FTA "as it is just simply isn’t fair, and if we don’t get that right we’ll be prepared to step away from that," Ron Kirk said in his confirmation hearing at the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.
Kirk singled out FTA with Korea among the deals the George W. Bush administration concluded with Panama, Colombia and Korea.
But despite Kirk’s strong hint at the need for renegotiation, the South Korean government on Tuesday warned against stretching the meaning of his remarks, saying it has been advised of no official view from the U.S. government.
A presidential official at Cheong Wa Dae said, "Kirk’s remarks can’t represent the official position of the U.S. government. We’re first of all going to have to find out why and on what grounds he made the remarks."
