Envoy calls for U.S. approval of Korea FTA to buttress alliance

By Hwang Doo-hyong
WASHINGTON, July 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korean ambassador to the U.S. Han Duck-soo
called on Congress Wednesday to approve a pending bilateral free trade deal,
saying it will enhance the two nations' decades-old alliance.
"The Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, which is beneficial to both of our
economies with its geopolitical significance for the Northeast Asian region, will
be the cornerstone of strengthened partnership and friendship in the future," Han
told a gathering at the Rayburn House Office Building to commemorate the 56th
anniversary of the Korean War Armistice.
"At the same time, it will truly reinforce our already strong alliance
relationship," Han said.
The Korea-U.S. free trade agreement, often called the KORUS FTA, was signed in
June 2007 but has yet to be approved by the Democratic Congress, which is
focused on health care reform and economic measures to cope with the global
crisis.
The pact also awaits ratification by the South Korean legislature.
Concerns have lingered in Washington over a possible backlash from American labor
unions -- a major political power base for the Democratic Party -- who fear more
FTAs could mean more job losses.
The United States has entered into free trade deals with 14 countries since 2001.
U.S. President Barack Obama has expressed concerns about certain aspects of the
KORUS FTA, specifically auto trade and restricted shipments of American beef.
Officials in both Korea and the U.S. have said they favor side agreements to
address thorny issues, rather than revising the text of the deal itself.
On Tuesday, South Korean Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon expressed optimism that
Congress will approve the deal.
"It is not a matter of 'yes' or 'no'," he said in a Seoul forum. "I would say it
is just a matter of time."
The U.S. Trade Representative on Monday filed a public notice seeking comments to
assess the viability of the deal's ratification, a move that seems to signal the
bill will soon be brought to Congress.
In a speech at the gathering, Han also thanked U.S. Korean War veterans for their
contribution to the defense of South Korea from North Korean communist invaders.
"If it had not been for the participation of the American armed forces, there
would not be a free and prosperous Korea today," Han said. "Korea is truly
grateful to the 1.8 million Americans who served in Korea during the Korean War
period, and the 3 million Americans who have served ever since the armistice."
The South Korean envoy expressed appreciated for the role of Rep. Charles Rangel
(D-NY) and the other lawmakers who sponsored the Korean War Veterans Recognition
Act, along with the Korean-Americans "who have been very active in garnering
support for this bill."
President Obama signed the act on Monday to designate July 27 as day when the
Stars and Stripes should be flown at half-staff in memory of the American
soldiers killed in the Korean War.
According to U.S. data, 54,246 American soldiers were killed and 8,176 were
captured or went missing in the war, in which the U.S. fought for South Korea
against North Korea and its communist ally, China.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), the ranking Republican on the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, told the gathering that she hoped to "see a democratic and
prosperous Korean Peninsula with the Korean people at last unified and living in
peace."
"We honor that vibrant South Korean democracy which stands in stark contrast to
the dark gulag which lies only a few short miles across the Demilitarized Zone,"
she said. "We cannot lower our guard because of South Korea's stunning success,
for a starving, paranoid and desperate regime just to the North represents a
constant threat to our South Korean friend."
hdh@yna.co.kr
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