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Progressive lawmakers including presidential aspirants in the ruling party on Friday launched a concerted drive against the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement, sparking fears that the FTA will have a bumpy passage through the National Assembly. The refuseniks attacked President Roh Moo-hyun for supporting the FTA. They seemed poised to block the appointment of prime minister designate Han Duck-soo, the former finance minister who leads a government committee supporting the initiative to clinch the FTA. Han needs parliamentary confirmation to assume the post.
In a press conference on Friday, former Uri Party chief Kim Geun-tae vowed to boycott the trade deal, adding he would also oppose Han¡¯s appointment if the premier designate turns out to be an aggressive supporter of the FTA. Kim¡¯s predecessor Chung Dong-young said, ¡°If you calculate the results of FTA talks so far, it has been a minus for Korea.¡± A total of 38 lawmakers from the Grand National, Uri, Democratic and Democratic Labor parties in a joint statement demanded an immediate halt to the FTA talks, saying the deal is being pursued ¡°in haste.¡± They said it was against the Constitution and the will of the Korean people for a handful of negotiators to make decisions on the deal unilaterally.
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Democratic Labor Party lawmaker Kwon Young-ghil is dwarfed by a phalanx of riot police in Seoul during a protest against the Korea-U.S. FTA during the sixth round of negotiations on Jan. 15 this year.
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Signatories included GNP lawmakers Kwon Oh-eul and Houng Moon-pyo, Uri¡¯s Lee In-young and Kang Chang-il, the DP¡¯s Kim Hyo-seuk and Shin Jung-sik, the DLP¡¯s Kwon Young-ghil and Roh Hoe-chan, and the People First Party¡¯s Ryu Keun-chan, as well as ex-Uri lawmakers Chun Jung-bae and Woo Yoon-keun. The number of anti-FTA lawmakers is expected to rise to roughly half representatives. Over half of the Uri lawmakers are opposed to the FTA, while only 40 to 50, including the Roh supporter Chung Se-kyun, are expected to support it.
GNP Rep. Hong Moon-pyo, who is the secretary of the National Assembly¡¯s Agriculture and Fisheries Committee, said, ¡°Forty-eight GNP lawmakers opposed the Korea-Chile FTA. There should be more than 50 GNP lawmakers opposing the one this time.¡± The DLP is in any case fervently against the FTA, but so are significant factions in the other parties and in a group of defectors from Uri. One ruling-party insider said, ¡°I believe the supporters and detractors will be split evenly, with about 140 on each side. If that happens, ratification in the National Assembly may be difficult. It also looks as though the appointment of prime-minister-designate Han will be a tough process because lawmakers associate him with the FTA.¡±
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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