Leader Han says she will send a letter to U.S. president to delay FTA implementation


The chief of the main opposition Democratic United Party said Friday that she will write a letter to U.S. President Barack Obama, asking him to delay the implementation of the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement.

“We have asked (the Korean government) to stop preparations for the treaty’s implementation, but haven’t received any reply from it,” Han Myeong-sook said during a meeting with party leaders at the National Assembly in Seoul.

“Now we plan to send letters directly to the U.S. president and congressmen and ask them to suspend the FTA’s effectuation and reconsider the deal from scratch,” she said. 

Han and other DUP leaders have been demanding a full repeal of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, expected to go into effect later this month.

The Korean parliament ratified the agreement in November in a snap vote participated only by members of the ruling Grand National Party and its conservative allies.

DUP lawmakers boycotted the ballot, crying foul over the GNP’s exploitation of its majority status in the controversial deal, which will tear down tariff and trade barriers between the two economies.

Public opinion in Korea is still sharply divided over the deal. While open-market proponents claim the pact would offer a much needed boost to the Korean economy, opponents argue it is biased against Koreans and would hurt local industries.

The Korea-U.S. FTA was signed in 2007 under the previous liberal rule of President Roh Moo-hyun and his Uri Party, the DUP’s precursor.

The current administration of conservative President Lee Myung-bak led a renegotiation of the deal in 2010 at the request of the U.S.

The DUP claims that the balance of interest swung in favor of the U.S. during the renegotiation.

By Lee Sun-young (milaya@heraldcorp.com)