National Assembly committee demands free trade data
The Hankyoreh | 21 July 2006
National Assembly committee demands free trade data
Says it will file suit with Constitutional Court for information release
A National Assembly committee said it would request data from the government regarding agricultural, fishing, and livestock products discussed at South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations.
The Agriculture, Forestry, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Committee unanimously agreed to demand South Korea-U.S. FTA-related data, including a copy of the draft on tariff concessions. The decision came after the Assembly was briefed by the government on the results of the second round of FTA negotiations, which ended in Seoul last week. Members of the committee did not find the government’s release of information sufficient.
The committee said it would send letters to the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Agriculture and Forestry, and Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, requesting the government to submit all documents to the National Assembly before exchanging concessions with the U.S., scheduled for late August.
Delegations from the two nations have agreed not to disclose full information in connection with the FTA negotiations for the next three years, save for the final agreement draft.
Rep. Kwon O-eul, chairman of the Assembly committee, said, "Most of the lawmakers weren’t satisfied with the government reports related to the FTA talks with the U.S., so we requested the data from the government according to National Assembly law. Our purpose is to monitor the negotiations as to whether or not they are being done properly."
Agriculture minister Park Hong-soo said, regarding the South Korea-U.S. FTA negotiations, that "there is nothing important we keep secret," saying that the government had already released all important information to the media. "Only the Foreign Ministers have a right to disclose discussions made at the meeting."
In the meantime, Rep. Kang Ki-gap of the Democratic Labor Party said that "as the government hasn’t disclosed the agreement draft, we can’t fully exercise out rights guaranteed by the Constitution." The assemblymen plan to file a lawsuit to the Constitutional Court, he added.
