U.S. considering Korea-EU FTA in reviewing FTA with Korea

SEOUL, Dec. 7 (Yonhap) -- The United States is considering a free trade agreement
between South Korea and the European Union as it reviews its stalled free trade
deal with South Korea, a senior U.S. trade official said Monday.

"We are looking very carefully at tariff schedules of the Korea-EU FTA," Wendy
Cutler, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Japan, Korea and APEC Affairs,
said at a forum in Seoul.
South Korea and the U.S. signed the deal in 2007, but the deal's ratification has
been delayed in both nations because of strong opposition from some stakeholders,
particularly farmers in South Korea and auto workers in the U.S.
Meanwhile, South Korea and the European Union signed a similar deal in September
this year, and Korean officials expect the deal to go into effect in 2010.
"Some of our suppliers have expressed concerns because once the Korea-EU deal
goes into effect, their European competitors would gain price advantages," said
Cutler, who served as the chief U.S. negotiator in free trade talks with South
Korea.
The U.S. wants South Korea to change auto provisions in the pending agreement,
calling for Seoul to level the playing field in the country's auto market.
When U.S. President Barack Obama visited Seoul in November for a summit with
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, Lee said his government was willing to
discuss the auto trade.
"If the auto issue is a problem, we are in a position to discuss it again," Lee
said in a televised press conference after the summit with Obama.
(END)