Members of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) are covered with fire extinguisher powder fired by governing Grand National Party (GNP) officials, Thursday, during the struggle to open the door to the conference room of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee. / Yonhap |
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
A National Assembly subcommittee will deliberate a motion to ratify the free trade agreement with the United States (KORUS FTA) after Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Park Jin invoked his power to table the motion, Thursday.
Park, a third-term lawmaker of the governing Grand National Party (GNP), and nine GNP committee members handed over the motion to the subcommittee for deliberations before a vote in a plenary session.
Lawmakers scuffled outside the conference room to thwart the GNP's unilateral vote at the panel session.
The largest opposition Democratic Party (DP) spokeswoman Kim Yoo-jung accused the GNP of seeking to railroad the motion.
Rep. Park Byeong-seug, DP chief policymaker, said shortly before the committee's approval of the motion that his party would fight against the GNP in collaboration with the general public.
``We now realize that we are unable to represent the voices of working- and middle-class citizens properly in the legislature where all decisions are made based on votes,'' Park said.
The ruling GNP with 172 seats controls the 299-member Assembly, while the DP has 82 seats.
``So we, along with citizens, will fight against the GNP,'' he said.
Park contended that ratification without protection measures for farmers would be against the national interest.
Earlier, DP Chairman Chung Sye-kyun said there was no good reason for the Assembly to ratify the KORUS FTA now, as it would only go into effect after the legislatures of both Korea and the United States pass the motion.
Minor opposition Liberty Forward Party Spokeswoman Park Young-sun asked the GNP to apologize for the go-it-alone approach.
``The GNP should nullify the decision and then work together with the opposition to complete protection measures for farmers before voting,'' she said.
Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Park put the FTA motion on the agenda at a committee session where no DP lawmakers were present.
Opposition party lawmakers were not allowed to attend the meeting because two days ago, Chairman Park exercised his right that empowers him to bar members who attempt to destabilize the meeting.
``Unprecedented violence made it difficult for our committee members to discuss the details of the motion, so as chairman I had to make a quick decision,'' Park was quoted as saying.
GNP Spokesman Yoon Sang-hyun commented Korea's ratification would encourage the U.S. government and Congress to ratify the pact.
hkang@koreatimes.co.kr
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