Progessive lawmakers go on hunger strike opposing FTA
Progessive lawmakers go on hunger strike opposing FTA
SEOUL, Jan. 15 (Yonhap) — Nine progressive lawmakers went on a hunger strike Monday against the free trade talks between Seoul and Washington as the two sides began the sixth round of the negotiations.
"If agreed on, the free trade agreement will trample on the lives of Korean people," Kwon Young-ghil of the minor Democratic Labor Party (DLP) told reporters while fasting in front of a hotel in central Seoul, the venue for the talks. "We will continue a hunger strike until they cease the negotiations."
Kwon spoke of rumors that Seoul and Washington have decided to finalize their talks by the end of February.
"There are words about a possible ’big deal’ in February and that the two governments are determined to go at full tilt toward the goal of closing the deal by February," he said.
South Korea and the U.S. are obliged to wrap up the free trade agreement (FTA) talks by the end of March at the latest, as U.S. negotiators have until April 2 to present a deal to Congress for an official 90-day review.
The Korean Alliance against the Korea-U.S. FTA, a leading opposition civic group, issued a statement castigating the two governments for holding the negotiations behind closed doors.
"The talks are being held against the will of most Koreans," the statement said. "The free trade agreement will destroy the lives of many common people and cripple our economy."
Authorities deployed 15,000 police to shield the talks against massive protests planned by farmers and supporters in Seoul and other parts of South Korea.
About 2,000 riot police were deployed around the hotel where the meeting was under way. All vehicles and people going into the hotel were checked.
Police already banned all protests organized by the civic group, citing fears of violent clashes and traffic congestion.
Last November, violent anti-FTA demonstrations organized by the Korean Alliance left 63 people injured, including 35 police officers, according to a police tally.
On Tuesday, about 5,000 farmers and anti-globalization activists are expected to mass in downtown Seoul and march toward the hotel, police said, while organizers claim some 15,000 will take part. Members of the DLP plan to hold a separate rally in a similar location with the ostensible goal of opposing U.S. beef imports, but the police expect the organizers to join forces later and walk toward the hotel.
Religious groups, including Buddhists and Christians, have also displayed their intention to gather in front of the Shilla Hotel late Tuesday and voice their opposition to the free trade talks.
South Korea remains split over the FTA issue. Farmers, laborers and activists have staged vehement protests against the proposed agreement, saying it would threaten their livelihoods, while conservative groups and companies have backed the government’s push for the free trade deal.
