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If Korea and the U.S. sign a free trade agreement on March 31, the ball will be in the court of the National Assembly. For now, it is by no means certain if the National Assembly will ratify the FTA since Uri Party presidential hopefuls oppose the trade treaty and even the main opposition Grand National Party must take into account pressure from interest groups such as farmers and fishermen ahead of the December presidential election.
◆ Ruling camp divided over FTA
The ruling camp is on the verge of another split over the Korea-U.S. FTA. Uri Party presidential hopefuls like former chairmen Chung Dong-young and Kim Geun-tae and ex-justice minister Chun Jung-bae strongly oppose the trade pact, and some 40-50 party lawmakers support them. Kim and Chun Jung-bae are on hunger strike against the trade treaty. Their opposition is based on political calculations: with this opportunity, they want to distance themselves from the unpopular President Roh Moo-hyun, a champion of the FTA, and to seize the initiative in reorganizing the ruling camp.
The minor opposition Democratic, Democratic Labor and People First parties also joined the anti-FTA front. The floor leaders of the three parties visited Kim and Chun to support their protest, saying they oppose hurried trade negotiations to meet the March 31 deadline. The ruling camp appears to be forming a united front against the FTA.
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Lawmakers on hunger strike to oppose Korea-US FTA. From left, Chun Jung-bae, Im Jong-in and Kim Geun-tae.
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But internally, the Korea-U.S. trade pact could serve as a catalyst for a split of the Uri Party. The party leadership is unhappy with presidential contenders’ anti-FTA campaign, urging them to delay a decision until the negotiation results are known. Centrist lawmakers and supporters of President Roh criticize the hunger strikers, and some in the party say that the two former chairmen should leave the Uri Party over the FTA.
◆ A hot potato in the GNP
Although many in the Grand National Party support the trade pact, lawmakers from rural constituencies oppose it. GNP presidential front-runners Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye support the trade pact, and so does the party leadership. But GNP lawmaker Kwon Oh-eul, who chairs the parliamentary agricultural committee, is against, saying Korea should stop trade negotiations that will take a toll on the Korean agricultural industry and will not be helpful to other industries either. He pledged not to vote for ratification, adding that about 40 GNP lawmakers oppose the FTA. When Korea clinched an FTA with Chile in 2004, 48 GNP lawmakers voted against.
◆Ratification delayed till next year
The Korea-U.S. FTA is expected to go to the National Assembly in September or October, when the regular session opens. But most observers don’t expect the assembly to ratify the trade pact this year because it could become a hot political issue in the presidential election if some contenders use it to garner support. A government official said the government aims to have the trade pact ratified within Roh’s tenure. He predicted it will likely be ratified early next year, immediately after the presidential election. A Uri Party member even said ratification of the trade deal could be a job for the next National Assembly if opposition of lawmakers from rural regions and the DLP turns violent.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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