Problem of Korea-US FTA
By Jay Kim
On April 15, in a subcommittee conference room of the Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee, located on the fourth floor of the main building of the National Assembly, a lawmaker from the main opposition Democratic Party took away the gavel from the chairman of the subcommittee as he was about to announce a vote on the bill of the Korea-EU FTA.
Rep. Kang Ki-kap from the minor Democratic Labor Party tried to prevent the vote, snatching the right arm of the chairman. Even amid this fuss, the chairman shouted to ask those in favor to stand up from their seats. As Rep. Hong Jung-wook from the Grand National Party stood up and left the room in disgust, declaring his abstention, the chairman misinterpreted that as a vote in favor of the bill and announced that the bill was passed.
The room was in turmoil for a while, and eventually it was agreed that the bill was not passed, with three votes in favor, two against, and one abstention.
Reading this news, I was afraid for the future of the Korea-U.S. FTA. The U.S. has already announced that President Barack Obama will discuss the FTA with Congress and request its ratification. Once this has happened, Congress will decide on the matter within 90 days. It’s almost certain that Congress will pass the FTA, since the Republican majority has always favored free trade. The problem, then, is not the U.S., but the National Assembly of South Korea.
The FTA is so important to Korea, which greatly depends on foreign trade. Furthermore, since this FTA includes the service industry, Korea (whose industrial structure is moving into an advanced stage) would undoubtedly benefit from an agreement with the U.S., the more advanced country, as an opportunity to develop and secure its own service industry. This is a great opportunity for Korea to become the hub of service industry in East Asia.
You never see a scuffle among lawmakers during a U.S. Congressional vote. Does this mean that U.S. congressmen are all gentlemen, while Korean assemblymen are not? Not at all; the problem, then, lies within the system. Snatching the gavel from a chairman is serious misbehavior. In an instance like this, the chairman can stop the proceedings, call a guard to remove the troublemakers from the room, and bar them from the meeting in some cases.
If a congressman frequently shows violent behavior, he can be sent to the Ethics Committee for punishment and expelled from the subcommittee or even expelled from Congress in serious cases. Congressmen are not given the privilege to do whatever they want.
What is more surprising is that Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon said insultingly, “Rep. Kang, before you criticize, you should study the agreement a little bit more.” Angered by this, Kang rebuked Minister Kim for his contemptuous attitude and told him to apologize immediately and resign. Kim’s retort was to tell Kang to watch his language and then left the room without an apology.
First of all, what Assemblyman Kang did was not right. It was inappropriate for him to snatch the chairman’s arm and obstruct the proceedings of a subcommittee session to which he didn’t even belong. However, insulting an assemblyman elected by the people with slights is throwing contempt on the whole assembly and disgracing the dignity of the sacred National Assembly.
This is a serious incident, and his fellow lawmakers should not let this go, thinking that Kang deserved it or that it doesn’t matter since he’s not in their party. In the U.S., Congress would demand punishment of the involved official, as well as an apology from the trade minister, and if this demand is not met they would pass their own resolution censuring the offending congressman.
After watching this incident on TV, I am concerned about the FTA. Considering a scuffle broke out in a subcommittee vote on the ratification of the Korea-EU FTA, it seems likely that the Korea-U.S. FTA will bring more physical struggles. In the U.S., the current public opinion on Korea is very favorable, and Korean-U.S. relations seem better than ever. According to polls, more than 80 percent of Americans have a favorable opinion of Koreans and believe that Korea is the most trustworthy U.S. ally in Asia.
President Obama has praised Koreans’ passion for education and their diligence whenever he got a chance. Bibimbap (a dish mixing rice with a variety of vegetables) has become popular in New York City, and noticeably more non-Korean customers can be found in Korean restaurants here in Washington, D.C. Korean cars have gained higher popularity, and Korean merchandise like television sets, phones, and refrigerators are selling well across the country.
If the Korea-U.S. FTA is ratified, Korea and the U.S. will have a stronger trade relationship. Korea has a lot of things to learn from the U.S., such as global standards, corporate transparency, anti-corruption standards, and small business assistance programs. Korea will also become an essential part of the East Asian economy from its trade experience with the U.S.
I hope people realize that throwing away silly anti-American sentiments and cooperating with the welcoming U.S., the strongest nation and the best ally in the world, is the way to break into the era of per capita national income of $20,000 and join the advanced nations of the world.
Jay Kim is a former U.S. congressman. He serves as chairman of the Washington Korean-American Forum. For more information, visit Kim’s website (www.jayckim.com).