GNP stresses that further delay will cause losses; DP calls for protective measures


The Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement now awaits Korean ratification after the U.S. Congress passed the bill on Wednesday, but parties here saw last-minute conflicts looming over the issue.

On Thursday morning, following the news from Washington D.C., a parliament-government consultative body convened to discuss the bill’s ratification, prior to the foreign committee’s meeting in the afternoon.

Rep. Hwang Woo-yea, floor leader of the Grand National Party, and Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu, chairman of the Democratic Party, also attended but parties failed to reach a compromise.

“The government and the ruling party are pushing ahead with ratification, without responding to our renegotiation demand,” said Rep. Kim Dong-cheol, chief DP negotiator of the committee.

“The FTA is an issue which will greatly affect our national interests and should be decided with greater caution, not just because our counterpart approved it.”

DP floor leader Rep. Kim Jin-pyo also claimed that protective measures for local industries should come first and pledged to vote against the bill, should the ruling party attempt to push ahead with approval.

Kim once again promoted the party’s so-called 10+2 renegotiation plan, asking for the revision of 10 clauses in the agreement and two complementary measures.

He placed more focus on additional protective measures as the U.S. Congress approval effectively ended the possibility of a fundamental renegotiation.

“It is a crucial task of the National Assembly to amplify the economic, social and political benefits of the given trade pact by speeding up the legislative processes,” said GNP’s Rep. Hwang, urging the panel to pass the bill without delay.

Rep. Yoo Ki-june, the committee negotiator for the GNP, claimed that the 14 FTA-related bills, which are currently pending in various parliamentary panels, would face further delay unless the core bill is ratified soon.

Rep. Nam Kyung-pil, GNP lawmaker and committee chairman, attempted to heed the DP’s calls while maintaining the ruling party’s stance on ratification.

“Though we agree that further protective measures are needed for local industries, we may not forever delay the bill approval,” said Nam.

“We will also hold separate talks with the DP and the minority Democratic Labor Party, as the two hold different views on the agreement.”

The hard-left DLP has consistently opposed the FTA itself, whereas the DP wants a renegotiation, claiming that the current clauses infringe on the rights of local manufacturers and merchants.

The GNP and the DP agreed to hold talks involving anti-FTA civic groups and the Foreign Ministry, despite opposition from the DLP, which called it a closed-door scheme to exclude minority parties.

The bill, after its initial discussion on Thursday, is scheduled to be put to vote at the committee and then the plenary session.

Should the bill pass both parliamentary votes and get the presidential signature, the FTA ratification processes are to be closed and the effectuation stages will begin.

By Bae Hyun-jung (tellme@heraldcorp.com)