Yonhap 21-May-08
Partisan strife continues over FTA, U.S. beef
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, May 21 (Yonhap) -- Political tension over Seoul's controversial trade pacts with Washington heightened here on Wednesday, just three days before the last session of the outgoing parliament is scheduled to close.
While the ruling party pressed opponents to cooperate for prompt ratification of a Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA), opposition parties spurned the move, demanding the government first seek complete renegotiation of last month's beef agreement with Washington.
The ruling Grand National Party has been hoping the Korea-U.S. FTA will be approved in the last session of the outgoing National Assembly -- which ends Saturday -- to give impetus to the economic initiatives of the new government launched in February.
But opponents are determined to delay the move until the government nullifies the April 18 beef pact, under which imports of U.S. beef will soon resume for the first time in almost five years.
Opposition parties criticize the government for agreeing to lift limits on the age of cattle and other prior restrictions on U.S. beef imports, accusing it of striking a hasty deal for better economic ties with Washington.
"The FTA must be settled in Friday's plenary session," ruling party leader Kang Jae-sup said in a senior members' meeting. "If the opposition party cannot set up a party platform, it should at least hold a free vote on the issue."
Both the U.S. and South Korean legislatures are split over whether to ratify the trade deal which was struck last June under the liberal Roh Moo-hyun government.
Reopening Seoul's market to American beef was one of the four preconditions for negotiating an FTA with Washington. Three of the preconditions were accepted last year by then President Roh.
Although the FTA will likely be approved by South Korea's new legislature, with the ruling party holding the majority of seats, the first few months will likely be used to form new parliamentary committees and select their heads, further delaying the ratification. The incoming National Assembly will convene on the first of June.
In a move to soothe growing local concerns over the safety of U.S. beef, South Korea's Trade Ministry said Tuesday it reached a new agreement with the United States under which Seoul will immediately ban American beef imports if an outbreak of mad cow disease in the U.S. is confirmed.
But opposition parties, led by the largest United Democratic Party, remain firmly against early ratification of the FTA, demanding a renewed beef deal to ban imports of all U.S. beef from cattle over 30 months old as well as specified risk materials -- cattle parts that may carry mad cow disease -- even if they are from younger cattle.
"It is President Lee Myung-bak who ruined the possibility of an early ratification of the FTA," said party chairman Sohn Hak-kyu. "President Lee should first renegotiate beef imports to settle the FTA."
Three opposition parties submitted a motion to dismiss Agriculture Minister Chung Woon-chun Wednesday, accusing him of putting the public health at risk via the beef agreement.
The motion was signed by 151 opposition legislators, enough for it to be passed by the 299-member parliament as the law requires support of more than half of the members present. The motion will be automatically scrapped unless the vote is held within 72 hours of submission.
About 20 opposition lawmakers launched a sit-in protest outside the presidential office Wednesday, demanding nullification of the beef deal.
"We will show the government that the people will no longer be fooled by its lies," they said in a press conference. "Renegotiation is the only answer."
