Defense of FTA with US - positive attitude needed to persuade people
Korea Times
Defense of FTA With US - Positive Attitude Needed to Persuade People
14 April 2006
A presidential senior secretary strongly defended Thursday’s government move to sign a free trade deal with the United States by saying that the deal, if successfully concluded, would pull the nation into the ranks of advanced countries. He went on to say that the deal would bring about epoch impacts for our country in terms of improving the growth rate, job creation and attraction of foreign capital.
Lee Baek-man, senior secretary for public information, made the remarks in an article on the Web site of the presidential office. It is the first reaction by a senior aide to President Roh Moo-hyun to the rising voices opposing to the government move to conclude the deal by June next year.
Lee’s remark is seen to reflect the government’s firm determination to push through the controversial deal. The basic principle seeking a FTA with the U.S. seems to be right. We also feel that he rightly refuted the argument that a FTA with the U.S. would "Americanize" our economy.
He even said it is "anachronistic" for some critics to analyze the trade pact with the "old theory of dependence in the 1980s." Lee’s remarks make us feel that the government regards the deal as being inevitable. However, what worries us is that the government has not been so positive in its efforts to make people understand the inevitability of the deal. It is hardly understandable why the government has had such a low-profile attitude on the matter.
Public opinion here is rapidly dividing between those supporting and those opposing an FTA. All-out government efforts are needed to bring the people close to consensus as much as possible. Lately, agreeing or disagreeing with the deal serves as an ideological yardstick to test if people are conservatives or progressives.
If the government is really serious about the deal, the Prime Minister and concerned economic ministers should come forward to explain to the people why we should proceed. People here are being swayed by uncertain consequences that the deal may bring about in the economy. The economy of Mexico, which signed a free trade deal with U.S. in 1993, has apparently changed for the worse in contrary to everyone’s expectations.
However, a growing number of countries stand prepared for the conclusion of a deal with the U.S. That also makes us wonder if by standing idle we may fall behind others in terms of strengthening economic bonds with the U.S., the largest commodity market in the world. This prospect also confuses people torn between supporting and opposing the FTA. Clear-cut government explanations about the need to conclude the deal should be persuasive enough to repel uncertainty and should come as soon as possible.
