A new president has joined the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM) in Korea. Amy Jackson, who took the position last month, formerly served as a director of Washington-based international trade and investment consulting firm C&M International and was deputy assistant of the U.S. trade representative for Korea from 2002 to 2005.

On Monday she held her first press conference as AMCHAM president in Seoul where she commented on the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement. She stressed that AMCHAM is a "strong supporter" of the trade deal, and said it is unfortunate the U.S. Congress is delaying its ratification. But she said the outlook for the trade pact is good, saying that "chances are zero" that the FTA will not be ratified.

When asked about the possibility of a renegotiation in the sensitive auto sector, she said there could be further discussions towards a "mutually agreeable compromise" but "without renegotiation of the agreement."

Jackson said that although she welcomes the recent initialing of the FTA between Korea and the European Union, she personally hopes the Korea-U.S. pact will be ratified first.