Clinton was speaking at an event in Detroit, Michigan, hosted by the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organization (AFL-CIO), America's largest labor confederation. The FTA would harm the U.S. auto industry, she said.

According to Clinton, South Korea last year exported 700,000 cars to the United States while U.S. carmakers sold 6,000 in South Korea. Such lopsided figures accounted for more than 80 percent of a US$13 billion trade deficit with South Korea, she said.

The current deal does not go far enough to scrap "the multitude of informal barriers that severely restrict the sale of American vehicles," Clinton said. "Unless those barriers fall, American carmakers will face increased competition at home and won't get greater access to South Korea's market."

Clinton also reiterated the importance of taking a wiser and tougher stance against South Korea for its restricted imports of American cars.

In contrast, Wendy Cutler, the chief U.S. negotiator at the FTA talks, has emphasized that there is no plan for re-negotiations, saying that the deal on automobiles was strong for both sides.

(englishnews@chosun.com )