Political parties oppose renegotiation of S. Korea-U.S. FTA
Yonhap News, Seoul
Political parties oppose renegotiation of S. Korea-U.S. FTA
By Kim Young-gyo
SEOUL, May 30 (Yonhap) — South Korea’s political parties said Wednesday that renegotiating a recent trade deal with the United States is unacceptable.
In a debate hosted by the nation’s top election watchdog, political party floor leaders said they will oppose the renegotiation of a free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and the U.S.
The floor leaders of the six main political parties participated in the National Election Commission’s first televised policy debate running up to December’s election.
In April, Seoul and Washington ended grueling negotiations for a landmark free trade accord after 10 months. The deal, expected to be signed by the end of June, must still be ratified by South Korea’s National Assembly and the U.S. Congress.
But the U.S. government has been indicating that it wants additional negotiations on labor and environmental issues, in line with legislation recently passed by the U.S. Congress.
The U.S. Congress passed a bill last month calling on trade officials to include tougher labor and environmental standards when signing trade pacts with foreign countries.
"Unless the renegotiation is about changing expressions or phrases on the agreement, we will not accept the renegotiation," said Chang Young-dal, floor leader of the pro-government Uri Party, adding that they will not "damage" points that have already been agreed upon.
The floor leader of the Democratic Party, Kim Hyo-seuk, basically took the same stance as Chang, adding, "We have to make sure that the U.S. actually intends to ask us for a renegotiation or an additional negotiation. Renegotiations can never be accepted. It will shake the agreement itself."
Chun Young-se, floor leader of the progressive Democratic Labor Party, reconfirmed his party’s opposition to the bilateral deal, saying "The whole negotiation process was wrong."
However, the minor People First Party’s Chung Jin-suk said the FTA with the U.S. is inevitable.
"We cannot avoid the FTA in the era of globalization," Chung said. "However, it is so naive to think the Korea-U.S. deal was made on equal terms."
The conservative Grand National Party (GNP) and the Centrist Reformists United agreed that they will ratify the agreement only after they determine all the pros and cons of the deal.
"Every detail of what has been agreed should be explained to South Korean people. We will agree to ratify only when there is common consent among the people," said Choi Yong-gyu of the Centrist Reformists United.
"The GNP has been consistent on the FTA. The ratification will come only after proper measures are made to aid South Korea’s less competitive industries," said Kim Hyung-o, the GNP’s floor leader.
