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Korea, US trade ministers to seek progress on FTA
7-May-2009 Korea Herald
Korean Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon and his US counterpart Ron Kirk will meet in Washington next week to discuss trade issues and seek a way forward in the stalled bilateral free-trade agreement
SKorean parliamentary committee approves US FTA
22-Apr-2009 Taiwan News
A South Korean lawmaker says a parliamentary committee has approved a free trade agreement with the United States, paving the way for the deal to be voted on by the entire legislature.
Assembly Committee to vote on KORUS FTA motion Wednesday
21-Apr-2009 Korea Times
The Korean National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee will vote on a motion to forward a free trade pact signed with the US government to the full Assembly for ratification.
US Security Council ’wants FTA with Korea ratified’
21-Apr-2009 Chosun Ilbo
"Inside US Trade", an American magazine, last Saturday quoted sources as saying NSC officials believe that the passage of the FTA bill will cement the Korea-U.S. alliance at a time when tension is mounting on the Korean Peninsula in the wake of North Korea’s launch of a long-range rocket.
’GM to determine fate of S Korea-US FTA’
16-Apr-2009 Korea Times
How the US President Obama administration deals with General Motors will determine the fate of the free trade agreement between Korea and the United States, the former first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.
AMCHAM presses Obama on FTA
15-Apr-2009 Korea Times
The Obama administration and the US Congress should approve and implement the still un-ratified Korea-US free trade agreement (KORUS FTA) as early as possible, and consider how the business community can help respond to potential humanitarian crises in North Korea, two major US business lobby groups closely linked to Korea said Tuesday.
SKorea expects FTA talks with US next month
13-Apr-2009 AFP
South Korea expects new talks with the United States next month on ratifying a free trade pact, its trade minister said, adding Washington now seems more in favour of the deal.
’USTR wants FTA ratified without change’
12-Apr-2009 Korea Times
The office of US Trade Representative (USTR) wants a free trade pact with South Korea to be ratified without renegotiation, unlike the US Democrats who are calling for an amendment
Obama wants progress on SKorea free trade-official
4-Apr-2009
U.S. President Barack Obama told South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday problems remain on a stalled free trade deal between the two countries but that he wants to make progress, a U.S. official said.
KOR-US FTA’s three poisons
31-Mar-2009
Why is the South Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) an issue again? The administration of President Lee Myung-bak is trying to use the global economic crisis to force its market fundamentalism on the country. The FTA is the final push.
Renowned professor calls for KORUS FTA renegotiation
19-Mar-2009 Hankyoreh
Lee Hae-young, a professor of international trade at Hanshin University, has proposed that the South Korean government renegotiate the free trade agreement between South Korea and the United States, saying the government should embrace repeated requests for renegotiation from the United States as a chance to review provisions it feels are unfair.
FTA with Seoul unacceptable, says USTR nominee
11-Mar-2009 Chosun Ilbo
The US 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 US Senate Finance Committee.
Lawmakers postpone Korea-US FTA bill
5-Mar-2009 Chosun Ilbo
Ruling and opposition party lawmakers have tentatively agreed to postpone until April a decision on ratifying the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement concluded in 2007.
Law firms from FTA partners to open local offices
3-Mar-2009
The National Assembly passed a bill yesterday allowing law firms from the United States and countries that have free trade agreements with South Korea to set up local branches to provide legal consulting services.
SKorea lawmakers endorse US FTA bill
26-Feb-2009 AFP
The judiciary subcommittee of South Korea’s parliament Wednesday endorsed a government bill to ratify a free trade pact with the United States. The bill still requires approval by the subcommittees for foreign affairs, trade and unification, before it is submitted to a plenary session of the National Assembly for ratification.
Prospects for ratification of Korea-US FTA shrouded in doubt
25-Feb-2009 JoongAng Daily
More than a year and a half since Korea and the United States signed a free trade agreement, the deal is still pending. Now attention is focusing on whether the two countries’ legislatures can approve the agreement to mark the one-year anniversary of Korea’s Lee Myung-bak administration and the launch of the new Barack Obama administration in the US.
Seoul hires US lobbyist for FTA ratification
10-Feb-2009 Korea Times
South Korea has signed a contract with a US lobbyist to facilitate congressional ratification of a pending free trade deal amid growing opposition to the pact fueled by the global economic crisis, Yonhap News reported Monday quoting an informed source.
Blue House scales back its rush to FTA ratification
5-Feb-2009 Hankyoreh
Both the Korean government and the ruling party seem to be waiting for the Americans to make up their minds
Trade minister quashes talk of FTA renegotiations with U.S.
16-Jan-2009
Korea’s top trade official said yesterday renegotiation of a free trade agreement with the United States would not be sensible, rejecting possible demand to amend the deal by the new administration of President-elect Barack Obama.
Chamber’s leader says FTA will pass
15-Jan-2009
Thomas Donohue, the head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said during his visit to Seoul yesterday there would be no “renegotiation” of the free trade agreement with Korea, while there could be some “adjustments” regarding the controversial auto issue.