Seoul to seek progress on FTA in summit with Obama: official

SEOUL, Nov. 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak and his U.S.
counterpart Barack Obama will seek ways to move forward with the ratification of
a free trade agreement (FTA) between their countries when they meet here for a
bilateral summit later this month, an official at Seoul's presidential office
Cheong Wa Dae said Monday.

The U.S. president will arrive here on Nov. 18 following his participation in the
annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Singapore.
"We are hoping that President Obama will express a more aggressive position on
the Korea-U.S. FTA and are working toward that end," Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman
Kim Eun-hye told a daily press briefing.
"The heads of the two countries have repeatedly affirmed their efforts for the
ratification of the FTA and they will again discuss ways to move forward the
efforts at their upcoming summit," she added.
Seoul and Washington signed the trade deal over two years ago in June 2007, but
the agreement still needs to be ratified by their respective legislatures.
The Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman said the mood was growing more favorable in the
U.S. for an early ratification of the FTA, noting a letter sent by a group of 88
U.S. legislators last week to Obama to urge quick action from the U.S.
administration.
She noted, however, that the issue will unlikely be settled at the upcoming summit.
"There will not be a joint statement coming out from the summit this time. So
their remarks from the summit or at a joint press conference will likely be the
only means to carry their message," Kim said.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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