Yonhap | 2008/05/27
Partisan strife dampens prospects for Seoul's ratification of FTA
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, May 27 (Yonhap) -- The prospect of Seoul gaining early ratification of a free trade deal with Washington was dimming Tuesday, as opposition parties continued to boycott the last session of the outgoing parliament amid an uproar over scheduled U.S. beef imports.
South Korea's conservative ruling party has been striving to settle the Seoul-Washington free trade agreement (FTA) within the tenure of the outgoing legislature to give impetus to the economic initiatives of the Lee Myung-bak government launched in February. The last session has been extended to Thursday upon the party's request.
If the motion fails to receive parliamentary approval this week, it will be reviewed from the beginning by the incoming National Assembly, further delaying ratification. The incoming parliament will convene June 1.
Both the U.S. and South Korean legislatures are split over whether to ratify the trade pact, which was struck last June under the liberal Roh Moo-hyun government.
Hong Joon-pyo, a newly elected floor leader of the ruling Grand National Party asked for opponents' cooperation during a meeting with the main opposition party leader Tuesday.
Citing opposition to the motion recently voiced by Barack Obama, the United States Democratic Party presidential front-runner, Hong asserted that the motion was "more of benefit" to Seoul.
"Obama called the FTA an unfair deal to his country. This proves how much the pact will benefit us," he said.
But Sohn Hak-kyu, leader of the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) remained resolute to block the move.
"We have already made it clear several times. There will be no FTA unless the beef deal is scrapped completely," he said.
The UDP has been leading opponent parties' move to fend off FTA until the government first nullifies and renegotiate the April 18 beef accord with Washington.
Seoul has agreed to almost entirely remove its restrictions on U.S. beef imports -- including the age of butchered cattle -- fueling local concerns over mad cow disease. The decision comes almost five years after the country banned U.S. beef in 2003 due to cases of mad cow disease in the U.S.
Opponent parties accuse the Lee government of striking a hasty deal with Washington for the sake of better economic ties between the two countries.
Sohn's party plans to file a suit to suspend an implementation of new beef import terms that will begin with the official notification by the agriculture minister, expected sometime this week.
The ruling party's efforts to gain prompt approval of the FTA have been further hampered by citizens' ongoing protests against U.S. beef imports, which have been turning violent recently. Hundreds of angry protesters clashed with police and dozens of them were arrested.
In a bid to soothe public concerns, the government struck an additional agreement with Washington last week, giving Seoul the right to suspend imports should a new case of mad cow disease is confirmed in U.S. cattle.
But the public appears hardly affected with criticisms still running high.
The ruling party suspects political forces behind the growing public move, but no such evidence has been found.
