The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) has initiated procedures to pass a South Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) ratification bill through the National Assembly. This move has reportedly been based on the impetus of the recent U.S. Congress’s ratification of the KORUS FTA. A hard journey is expected for the bill, however, based on the fact that the Democratic Party and other opposition parties regard the passing of the ratification bill as a question of identity that provides the key to a unified opposition.
The GNP’s official plan is to have the bill passed by the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee (FATUC) by Oct. 18, then by the full assembly by Oct. 28. Internally, the party plans to pass the bill through its own standing committee by that time. The GNP’s plan is to create the appearance that the bill will be passed, even if late, either together with the opposition or with the opposition’s implicit consent.
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The DP, however, held an emergency meeting of its Supreme Council on Wednesday night, when news broke that Congress had passed the FTA law in the U.S. The DP decided to forge a working relationship with the Korean Alliance against the KorUS FTA (KoA). It urgently sent DP Supreme Council member Chung Dong-young, a hardline opponent of the FTA, and other lawmakers whose constituencies encompass agricultural regions, to the FATUC. They let the GNP know of their intention to block any attempt to railroad the bill, even if this meant physically preventing it from taking place.
“Congress’s passing of the ratification bill in the U.S. has effectively made further renegotiation impossible,” said DP floor leader Kim Jin-pyo, meeting a Hankyoreh reporter. “Now all that remains is the choice whether to pass the ratification bill or not. In this situation, all we can do is pick out items such as measures to limit damage suffered by those working in agriculture, fishing and livestock, as well as small and medium traders, and negotiate them one by one.”
link:
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_business/500777.htmlon edit: The DP is the Democratic Party of Korea. They are the opposition to the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) in the National Assembly