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A second round of free trade talks between Korea and the U.S. wound up Friday with a standoff over five of 18 matters on the agenda. The talks went on since Monday at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul.
At Korea¡¯s request, the two sides cancelled talks scheduled for the day in four areas including environment and services. The request came in apparent retaliation for U.S. walkouts on pharmaceuticals on Wednesday and anti-dumping regulations on Thursday.
The U.S. walked out of discussions on a new Korean policy requiring individual approval of new pharmaceuticals for insurance coverage, which Washington wants scrapped arguing it will disadvantage its pharma firms. The top U.S. negotiator Wendy Cutler denounced her Korean counterparts at a press conference Friday, saying no meaningful discussion was possible as long as Seoul forges ahead with the new policy, which is to take effect in September.
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The U.S. chief negotiator in Korea-U.S. free trade talks Wendy Cutler speaks at a press conference after wrapping up the second round of the talks at the Shilla Hotel in Seoul on Friday.
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Korea countered the matter was none of the U.S.¡¯ business. ¡°This is a domestic issue and cannot be subject to the discussions,¡± an official said. The question will rear its ugly head again in the third round of FTA talks to be held in the U.S. from Sept. 4.
Korean chief negotiator Kim Jong-hoon expressed optimism that it will be resolved through negotiations. He added the two sides ¡°had productive discussions in general, but when it comes to major issues of contention such as rice, we haven¡¯t been able to make noticeable progress.¡±
Seoul and Washington exchanged reserve lists on the service sector and agreed to swap lists of general, agriculture and textile goods to be opened under the free trade agreement soon.
Seoul¡¯s service-sector reserve list numbers some 100 services including public utilities, broadcasting, legal services, compulsory education and home delivery to be kept out of the FTA. The two sides agreed in principle that markets for some 8,400 general goods will open within up to 10 years once the FTA takes effect. Detailed negotiations will follow once the lists have been swapped.
Negotiations on the level and scope of market opening measures are scheduled for the third round. ¡°The third round will the start of fully fledged deal-making,¡± a Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry official said. He vowed Korea will make sure to push through major demands including keeping rice out of the FTA.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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