Twenty-three lawmakers from the ruling and opposition parties on Thursday asked the Constitutional Court if the government¡¯s effort to strike a free trade agreement with the U.S. violates the Constitution. The move coincides with the start of a third round of bilateral FTA negotiations in Seattle. "The government infringes on the National Assembly's right to sign, ratify and approve treaties with foreign countries in its failure to hold adequate discussions with us and blocking our access to related information,¡± said Uri Party lawmaker Kim Tae-hong, who led the petition. ¡°The government is monopolizing information about the FTA negotiations with the U.S. and pursuing them unilaterally and in haste.¡± Kim told reporters the group took the step to force the government to disclose the information and conduct the negotiations ¡°in a more systematic way.¡±
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Some 60 Korean anti-FTA activists from the Korean Alliance Against KORUS FTA stage a demonstration against the bilateral trade pact in Seattle on Wednesday./ Yonhap
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The petition was filed by Kim Tae-hong, Kang Chang-il, Yoo Ki-hong, Lew Seon-ho, You Seung-hee, Lee Kyung-sook, Lee Ki-woo, Lee Sang-min, Lee In-young, Im Jong-in, Chung Bong-ju, Choi Jae-cheon, and Hong Mi-young from the ruling Uri Party, all nine members of the Democratic Labor Party, Son Bong-suk from the Millennium Democratic Party. The progressive groups Lawyers for a Democratic Society and People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy are to offer legal advice.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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