6-Jun-2006
Indymedia DC
Koreans descended on Washington this weekend to oppose a proposed US-South Korea "free" trade deal. Listen to the audio report from WSQT Radio.
6-Jun-2006
Hankyoreh
South Korean consumers will pay more for pharmaceuticals if US demands on a free trade agreement between the two countries are met, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
5-Jun-2006
Hankyoreh
US Congress has strengthened pressure on negotiators to take a hard-line stance in the South Korea-US free trade agreement (FTA) talks.
5-Jun-2006
Hankyoreh
Korea’s team of negotiators for the proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States left for Washington on Sunday amid much concern. Depending on how the discussions go, there could be a lot of controversy and even deeper discord between interests.
4-Jun-2006
Yonhap
Some 1,300 protesters hit the streets of central Seoul Saturday to oppose a proposed free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States.
3-Jun-2006
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.
3-Jun-2006
Asia Times
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.
2-Jun-2006
Korea Times
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.
2-Jun-2006
donga.com
"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.
2-Jun-2006
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.
30-May-2006
Yonhap
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."
29-May-2006
Korea Herald
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.
27-May-2006
Stuff.co.nz
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.
27-May-2006
Korea Times
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.
26-May-2006
Bangkok Post
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.
26-May-2006
Chosun Ilbo
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.
25-May-2006
Reuters
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.
25-May-2006
Korea Herald
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.
23-May-2006
Korea Times
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.
23-May-2006
Korea Times
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.
