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US wants separate FTA talks on farm products
A US demand for separate negotiations on the agricultural sector under a planned free trade agreement with Korea shows how contentious the issue is, the Korean government said Friday.
Bumpy road for US-Korea FTA talks
Negotiations for a US-South Korean free-trade agreement will begin on Monday, with strong political support from both countries’ presidents tempered by skepticism in the legislatures and cautious public support.
US FTA expected in 3 years
Despite ups and downs in the negotiations for a free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and the United States, the two countries are likely to reach a final agreement in two to three years, according to a report by the Samsung Economic Research Institute (SERI) Wednesday.
Free trade pact: Follow Chile’s lead
"I felt like I was negotiating with US interest groups, not with the US government," says Alicia Frohmann, one of Chile’s chief negotiators on the US-Chile FTA, to Korean negotiators.
CRS Report for Congress: The proposed South Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (KORUSFTA)
The launching of the negotiations comes with a high degree of political risk for both South Korea and the United States. It comes as the US-South Korean alliance, while remaining very strong, has showed signs of fraying.
S Korean activists promise peaceful protests against US FTA
South Korean activists have pledged to hold peaceful protests against a proposed South Korea-US free trade agreement (FTA) in Washington early next month. "We want to explain to American citizens why we oppose the FTA with the US."
China urges Korea to conclude free trade agreement
Beijing wants an FTA with Korea to alleviate its chronic trade deficit with its neighbor. Seoul is more reserved on the issue, since it could cause a surge in cheap agricultural produce and light industry goods.
Tensions stall Japan/South Korea FTA
Negotiations for a free trade pact between South Korea and Japan have been deadlocked for more than a year partly due to differences over how the two sides view their history, South Korea’s commerce minister said on Friday.
Hyosung head calls for corporate-led FTA
Business leaders in South Korea and Japan need to play an active role in achieving a free trade agreement between the two countries, a Korean conglomerate owner said Thursday.
Rice remains biggest hurdle to trade pact in Korea talks
Thailand has reaffirmed that it did not sign the Asean-South Korean free trade agreement on goods because of rice. South Korea insisted on excluding rice under its sensitive list, but Thailand, the world’s largest rice exporter, demanded that it open up its local market.
US ’better free trade partner than Japan, China’
The US is a much better free-trade partner for Korea than China or Japan, where issues of race and historical animosities would make an agreement difficult, Korea’s chief negotiator in free-trade talks with the US said Thursday.
S Korea says differences over free trade with US
The first draft statements of a free trade agreement exchanged by South Korea and the United States show "considerable differences" between the two sides, an agriculture ministry official said.
US labor groups to join forces in anti-FTA rallies
US labor groups will join forces with Korean counterparts for rallies in Washington early June against a proposed free trade agreement, the KCTU said yesterday.
Globalized protests
Korea and the United States will start formal negotiations on a bilateral free trade accord in Washington on June 5. Flying to the US capital for the occasion are not only government delegates but also a contingent of about 100 demonstrators. Having heard much about Korean protesters’ militancy, local police have reportedly entered a state of emergency.
Koreans, French fight Hollywood domination
Films from South Korea may not be as prominently featured in the program of the 59th Cannes Film Festival as in recent years, yet Korean cinema is garnering attention, thanks to the struggle by industry people to defend the screen quota system.
Korean groups vow ’no violence’ in US capital
Korean activists will go ahead with their planned rallies in Washington to protest negotiations for a free trade agreement, ignoring the government’s appeal for restraint.
US upbeat about trade talks with South Korea, Malaysia
The United States is "very optimistic" about clinching free trade agreements (FTAs) with major trading partners South Korea and Malaysia, a senior US official said.
Gov’t urges anti-FTA protestors to stay home
The South Korean government on Friday urged a group of some 100 Koreans to refrain from staging a protest in Washington against the first round of negotiations for a free trade agreement with the US, to be held there on June 5-9.
EU, South Korea eye preliminary FTA talks
South Korea and the European Union have agreed to hold preliminary talks that could lead to the establishment of a free trade agreement (FTA).
Experts warn of inflated hopes for Korea-US FTA
A free trade agreement between Korea and the US is expected to bring substantial challenges as well as opportunities for the Korean economy. The manufacturing industry led by textiles, cars and electronics will see exports increase, but agricultural, fisheries and the service industry will at the very least have undertake structural reforms to survive.