GNP leader urges KORUS FTA passage
By Chung Min-uck
Rep. Hong Joon-pyo, chairman of the governing Grand National Party (GNP), urged the National Assembly Wednesday to pass the long-pending Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (KORUS FTA) within October.
“Since the U.S. Congress is set to sign off on the KORUS FTA this week, we too have to pass the treaty and the 14 bills related to the free trade pact this month,” said Hong.
The KORUS FTA was originally signed in 2007 to boost trade between the two nations and was supplemented last December at the request of the U.S. side due to concerns raised by its auto industry. Since then the pact had been tied up in both countries’ parliaments due to opposing parties and workers who claim the enforcement of the deal would adversely affect job conditions in relatively less-competitive sectors.
Congress’s swift approval of the deal in the Senate Finance Committee Tuesday and the rare bipartisan agreement to pass the bill in both the Senate and House of Representatives this week is prompting the ruling GNP to keep up with its counterparts.
In this regard, the GNP had set its own schedule on passing the long-disputed bill.
Chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee and GNP supreme council member, Rep. Nam Kyung-pil said Monday that the opposing parties will discuss the issue today at the committee’s general meeting.
Last month, Nam presented the KORUS FTA to the committee as the first step toward passing the bill, despite fierce objections from opposition party members.
The ruling party is planning on approving the bill at the committee next Wednesday to finally pass it at a regular session of the National Assembly on Oct. 28.
The ruling GNP currently controls 168 out of 295 seats in the unicameral chamber which will allow it to pass the bill unilaterally.
The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) opposes the GNP’s move.
Rep. Sohn Hak-kyu, DP chairman, said Wednesday, “the KORUS FTA which the ruling party is pushing for would polarize Korean society further.”
He also added that the GNP is trying its best to pass the law just to strengthen bilateral ties with the United States without consideration of supplementary measures.
The DP has been urging for a renegotiation of the trade pact. according to its policy of the “10 plus 2 FTA re-renegotiation.” The 10 issues include postponing the date for eliminating tariffs on agricultural and livestock-related products and two other backup measures for people negatively affected by the trade agreement.
The GNP has refused to accept most of the requests saying that they were already dealt with during the late President Roh Moo-hyun’s administration.
President Lee Myung-bak arrived in Washington on Tuesday for a five-day official state visit during which he will hold a summit with U.S. President Barack Obama.