SKorean farmers rally against US free trade pact
AFP | June 20, 2007
SKorean farmers rally against US free trade pact
Thousands of South Korean farmers rallied Wednesday against a hard-won free trade agreement with the United States as US officials arrived for re-negotiations.
The farmers staged a sit-down protest on a plaza outside Seoul’s City Hall, carrying banners reading "No to FTA which endangers our livelihoods." Police said about 8,000 people attended.
They demanded the South Korean government rip up the deal reached on April 2 after 10 months of tough negotiations.
The agreement has left many local workers and farmers fearing for their jobs. But it is supported by a majority of South Koreans, according to opinion polls.
The 40,000-strong union at Hyundai Motor plans a five-day walkout starting next Monday in protest at the deal.
The pact, the biggest for the US since the 1993 North America Free Trade Agreement, is expected to be signed on June 30 before US President George W. Bush’s "fast-track" trade promotion authority expires.
It also needs ratification by the legislatures of both countries.
The protest came a day after Seoul accepted a US request for re-negotiations to reflect Washington’s new trade policy guidelines.
Washington wants changes, especially in labour and environment issues, after Congress and the White House agreed in May on a bipartisan accord that sets social and environmental standards for such agreements.
Assistant US Trade Representative Wendy Cutler said this week’s negotiations would not alter the balance both sides achieved in previous negotiations, according to Yonhap news agency.
The chief US negotiator reportedly said upon arrival at an airport west of Seoul that she was looking forward to a "productive negotiation" Thursday and Friday.
