Legislators speak out against US-SK trade deal
The Hankyoreh, Seoul
Legislators speak out against U.S.-S.K. trade deal
Proposed FTA may face difficulty gaining approval in Korean parliament: lawmaker
14 March 2007
The South Korean and U.S. negotiators on March 12 completed their eighth and final round of official talks on a proposed free trade agreement (FTA), as Seoul compromised on a number of Washington’s demands.
This latest round could be cited as a breakthrough for negotiators, who have engaged in talks for around ten months, but some politicians and lawmakers see this round as a culmination of half-baked negotiations designed to produce results in the quickest way possible.
The deadline critics cite as pushing the talks forward at a rapid pace is the U.S. Trade Promotion Authority, an act that requires FTA negotiators to submit a finalized draft to U.S. Congress by April 2 for a yes-or-no vote on the entire deal; after that date, each portion of the FTA will have to be individually approved by U.S. lawmakers.
Chang Young-dal, the floor leader of the Uri Party, blasted U.S. lawmakers for their recent comments that the an FTA between the two nations will not likely get U.S. Congressional endorsement if the South Korean government sticks to its current negotiating stance. "This is nonsense," he said, adding that the FTA might face a tough time in Korea’s parliament, as well.
"If we have to lift sanctions on all U.S. beef, then the U.S. side will also have to make compromises in other areas. Otherwise, the South Korean parliament would not approve the deal, either," Chang added.
Beef has been one of the biggest issues in the talks, with the U.S. calling for a full opening of the Korean market to its imports, and Korea pushing to keep its current ‘boneless beef only’ policy, following last year’s lifting of a three-year ban on U.S. beef due to a mad cow disease outbreak there.
Yang Hyung-il, a spokesman for the splinter group of the ruling Uri Party, echoed the opinion of fellow party member Chang.
"Many people point out that our nation’s stance has not been well reflected in the process of the negotiations as the talks centered only on the U.S. proposals...The [Korean] government should pay more attention to national interests rather than on making a deal hastily," he said.
Another group of lawmakers that recently defected from the ruling Uri Party and is spearheading opposition to several proposed FTA amendments issued a statement on March 13, urging the government stop talks immediately and transfer the negotiating authority to the next administration.
"The problem is that the government is pushing to strike a deal through closed-door talks without building a national consensus. We have no other choice but to take to the streets with people to oppose the talks if the government continues to push the issue in such an unilateral and hasty way," the group’s spokesman said.
