S. Korea-US FTA should not be disrupted by interest groups: Roh
Korea Times
S. Korea-US FTA Should Not Be Disrupted by Interest Groups: Roh
By Ryu Jin, Staff Reporter
16 February 2006
President Roh Moo-hyun said Thursday the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) should not be blocked by some interest groups’ resistance.
While expressing his firm determination to conclude an FTA with the United States, he made it clear that South Korea would not concede too much'' just for the sake of the trade pact, according to his aides.The South Korea-U.S. FTA is a matter of our national pride,’’ Roh was quoted by his advisor for economic affairs, Chung Moon-soo, as saying in a meeting with officials from relevant ministries and business leaders at Chong Wa Dae.
Roh also said that there was no pressure or anything'' behind the government's recent decision to begin the FTA talks, a direct denial of speculation by some civic groups that Seoul had been pressured by Washington on the issue.
He stressed it was South Korea which first proposed the FTA and took the lead in fostering favorable circumstances for the start of negotiations, adding that he made the final decision after much deliberation.
Seoul and Washington reached an agreement early this month to begin the talks, possibly starting in May. This, however, triggered fierce criticism from the film industry.
The government announced late last month that the mandatory screening days for domestic movies would be cut from the current 146 days to 73 days a year starting from July.To the U.S. demand, the Roh government has kneeled down,’’ movie workers, including actors and actresses, said in a joint statement.
Roh’s remarks that there are conditions that his country could never concede, one of the two principles of negotiations he directed South Korean negotiators to follow, seem to be aimed at appeasing the filmmakers and farmers, who also joined the protests.
But he indicated he sees the two sectors differently. Using a child-adult'' metaphor to address filmmakers, he said the people in the film industry should sincerely question if it is still achild that needs to be protected?’’
However, he said he would do his best as a head of state who in his childhood once engaged in the rural life, to minimize the impact the free trade pact would have on the domestic agriculture.
Roh said an FTA with the U.S. would be a good opportunity for the nation to compete with the world’s top economy and further upgrade its own economy.
