Majority of S Koreans favour putting off FTA talks with US: poll
Yonhap
Tuesday September 26, 2006
Majority Of S.Koreans Favour Putting Off FTA Talks With Us: Poll
SEOUL, Sept 26 Asia Pulse — A majority of South Koreans favour delaying free trade agreement (FTA) talks with the United States, and want the government to release details on the negotiations, a poll showed Tuesday.
According to the survey of 1,000 adults conducted nationwide following the first round of FTA talks in June, 52 per cent of the respondents called for a measured approach to the negotiations that could have a potentially far-reaching impact on the economy.
Those who wanted a speedy conclusion to the talks stood at 26 per cent, the poll commissioned by the Ministry of Finance and Economy showed.
The survey outcome submitted to Uri Party lawmaker Chae Su-chan prior to a parliamentary audit also showed that 40.2 per cent wanted to know more details about what was being discussed in the negotiations.
The two sides have held three rounds of talks as of early September, with a forth scheduled for next month. Seoul officials have maintained that details can not be released because it could compromise South Korea’s interests.
Government officials have hinted that they want to conclude negotiations by the end of the year.
On the impact the FTA with the U.S. will have on South Korea, 49.5 per cent said it will hurt the country, which is higher than the 30.1 per cent that said it could be beneficial. Around 11 per cent predicted that the FTA will not affect the country in any way.
The results of the Hankook Research poll are noteworthy since the number of people expressing concerns about the South Korea-U.S. FTA are on the rise. In polls conducted by the Government Information Agency in April and May, the proportion of people worried about fallout from the FTA stood at 39.9 per cent and 41 per cent, respectively.
In the latest poll, most people predicted damage to the country’s agriculture sector, followed by concerns that the gap between haves and have-nots will widen.
However, they said the service sector, including the financial and legal sectors, will become more competitive, and expected inbound business investment to increase if a liberal trade pact is signed.
