ID :
207580
Fri, 09/16/2011 - 16:25
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Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/207580
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Free trade pact with U.S. introduced in parliamentary committee
SEOUL, Sept. 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's ruling Grand National Party (GNP) presented a long-pending free trade agreement with the U.S. to a parliamentary committee Friday in the first step toward its ratification despite objections from opposition parties.
The deal, signed in 2007 and supplemented last December, is one of the most contentious issues in the South Korean parliament. The GNP calls for an early ratification, while the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) claims the deal favors the U.S. and should be renegotiated.
The rival parties had earlier agreed to keep pace with the U.S. Congress in handling the bill.
On Friday, Rep. Nam Kyung-pil of the GNP, chairman of the committee, brought the bill before the committee, saying time has come for the National Assembly to take the first step to approve the bill as the U.S. Congress has started to proceed with the bill.
"It dose not mean that we are passing the ratification bill today. What we are doing is just presenting it" to the parliament, Nam said, surrounded by angry opposition legislators. "We will not ram the bill through and approve it ahead of the U.S."
Nam later said he expects the U.S. Congress will act on the trade pact between Oct. 10-20.
The U.S. government has been trying to get the FTAs with South Korea, Colombia and Panama to pass through Congress as a package while seeking assurance that Congress will quickly ratify the pacts once they are submitted.
President Barack Obama's efforts to renew the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), a worker aid program opposed by Republican lawmakers, have been a sticking point as he has sought to renew the TAA along with the trade deals.
Nam sought to assure opposition parties that he won't railroad the trade bill, stressing that his committee will begin deliberations on the trade bill only after the TAA passes through Congress.
Opposition parties accused Nam of abusing his authority as chair of the committee and unilaterally introducing the bill to the committee without agreement between the rival parties.
"This was not agreed by the ruling and opposition parties," Rep. Kim Dong-chul of the DP said. The chairman abused "his authority to put the bill before the committee although it is not clear that the U.S. government is ready to submit the bill."
Rep. Kang Ki-kab of the minor opposition Democratic Labor Party (DLP) accused the ruling party of trying to rush the bill before President Lee Myung-bak visits Washington next month for talks with U.S. President Barack Obama.
"The ruling party hurriedly presented the free trade bill to the parliament, refusing to discuss safeguard measures needed to protect local industry from cheap imports," Kang said. "The deal should be renegotiated."
The deal, signed in 2007 and supplemented last December, is one of the most contentious issues in the South Korean parliament. The GNP calls for an early ratification, while the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) claims the deal favors the U.S. and should be renegotiated.
The rival parties had earlier agreed to keep pace with the U.S. Congress in handling the bill.
On Friday, Rep. Nam Kyung-pil of the GNP, chairman of the committee, brought the bill before the committee, saying time has come for the National Assembly to take the first step to approve the bill as the U.S. Congress has started to proceed with the bill.
"It dose not mean that we are passing the ratification bill today. What we are doing is just presenting it" to the parliament, Nam said, surrounded by angry opposition legislators. "We will not ram the bill through and approve it ahead of the U.S."
Nam later said he expects the U.S. Congress will act on the trade pact between Oct. 10-20.
The U.S. government has been trying to get the FTAs with South Korea, Colombia and Panama to pass through Congress as a package while seeking assurance that Congress will quickly ratify the pacts once they are submitted.
President Barack Obama's efforts to renew the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), a worker aid program opposed by Republican lawmakers, have been a sticking point as he has sought to renew the TAA along with the trade deals.
Nam sought to assure opposition parties that he won't railroad the trade bill, stressing that his committee will begin deliberations on the trade bill only after the TAA passes through Congress.
Opposition parties accused Nam of abusing his authority as chair of the committee and unilaterally introducing the bill to the committee without agreement between the rival parties.
"This was not agreed by the ruling and opposition parties," Rep. Kim Dong-chul of the DP said. The chairman abused "his authority to put the bill before the committee although it is not clear that the U.S. government is ready to submit the bill."
Rep. Kang Ki-kab of the minor opposition Democratic Labor Party (DLP) accused the ruling party of trying to rush the bill before President Lee Myung-bak visits Washington next month for talks with U.S. President Barack Obama.
"The ruling party hurriedly presented the free trade bill to the parliament, refusing to discuss safeguard measures needed to protect local industry from cheap imports," Kang said. "The deal should be renegotiated."
