S. Korean leader rallies U.S. support for enactment of FTA

By Byun Duk-kun
WASHINGTON, June 16 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak tried to
rally support in the U.S. Congress for ratification of the Korea-U.S. free trade
agreement (FTA) Tuesday, shortly after he and his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama
agreed to move the process forward.

Lee called for congressional support for increased economic and security
cooperation between the countries, saying the boost will also help strengthen
their alliance.
"President Lee and the U.S. lawmakers noted the importance of close cooperation
between the countries to overcome the global financial crisis while President Lee
expressed hope for an expansion of the Korea-U.S. relations through progress on
the FTA issue and an increase in practical cooperation between the two," South
Korea's presidential office said in a press release.
The South Korean president, here on a three-day official visit, held a meeting
with 10 leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives, including House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi. He also held talks with nine members of the Senate, including the
floor leaders of both the Republican and Democratic parties, in a later meeting.
Lee's call for the U.S. Congress to act swiftly comes as the countries have been
unable to ratify the FTA signed nearly two years ago.
Seoul's ruling majority Grand National Party remains confident it can quickly
ratify the trade agreement once the United States is ready to follow suit, but
the Obama administration has often voiced reluctance, citing possible damages to
its country's auto industry.
Lee and Obama appeared to have mended their longstanding difference on the FTA
earlier Tuesday as they agreed to "chart a way forward" in their summit talks,
held at the White House.
"We will continue to deepen our strong bilateral economic, trade and investment
relations. We recognize that the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement could further
strengthen these ties and we are committed to working together to chart a way
forward," they said in a joint statement issued at the end of their summit.
The South Korean president also called for Congress to support the countries'
joint efforts to denuclearize North Korea, saying a nuclear-armed North Korea can
never been accepted.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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