By Park Geun-hye brings up many of the same points I brought up earlier in regards to the Korean left wing opposition planning to scrap the US-ROK FTA if they win the Presidential election:
Ruling party leader Park Geun-hye lashed out strongly at the main opposition party Monday over its campaign promise to scrap the free trade deal with the United States, saying those arguing for repealing the pact should not be allowed to run the country.
The trade deal, first signed in 2007 and modified in December 2010, was approved by the ruling party-controlled parliament in November despite strong objection from opposition parties that claimed the pact favors the U.S. and should be renegotiated.
Last week, the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) said it will demand that Washington renegotiate the deal before it goes into effect or seek to dump the pact altogether after winning April’s general elections and December’s presidential vote.
Park, a leading presidential hopeful, stressed Monday that it was when the DUP was in power that the government launched negotiations and first signed the trade accord, and that the party’s calls for scrapping the pact have been an irresponsible about-face.
“(The DUP) claimed it was pushing for the FTA for national interests when it was in power, but it is now making the exact opposite argument after it became an opposition party. I cannot let those who claim they will scrap the FTA if they win the elections lead the country,” Park said at a party meeting.
“If that happens because of our indolence and faults, we would do a great disservice to history.”
Park stressed that the administration of late former President Roh Moo-hyun signed the deal in 2007 and his Cabinet members persuaded lawmakers and the people that the trade pact would help the nation’s export-driven economy.
Among them was then Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, who now leads the DUP with promises to scrap the deal if liberals gain the legislative majority in April and the presidency in December. [Yonhap News]
I can see this issue possibly backfiring on the Korean left if the ruling party is able to get someone front and center that can articulate what the ramifications will be of withdrawing from the treaty as well as show how disingenuous the DUP is when it was former left wing politician Roh Moo-hyun who started the US-ROK FTA process.
3:12 am on February 14th, 2012 1
If they scrap the FTA does that mean there will be no more Blow Jobs for USFK service members? Or was that stopped with the passage of the Human Trafficking BS? I am all about Human Traffic but would prefer to have signals electronically controlled rather than manual operation.
7:02 am on February 14th, 2012 2
This is what happens when you’ve had a closed and flourishing economic society for so long. Can you say “Goodbye LG? Goodbye Samsung? Goodbye Kia? Goodbye Hyundai?” This is what the United States MUST do if they’re successful in stopping the FTA. Impose our own ridiculous excise/import taxes on Korean products entering the United States or manufactured in the United States under these brand names. Let’s see how long the Korean economy lasts when they can’t sell their products in America because our government has levied such excessive taxes against their products as they have done to ours. I talk to my wife about the FTA issue her eyes were opened when she learned that American companies have disappeared historically because of Asian products entering the United States. Does anyone remember Zenith? White Westinghouse? For those of you that don’t remember, they were american electronics companies that made televisions and other electronic products. Where are they now? Gone because they couldn’t compete with Asian electronics companies that were allowed to enter our marketplace. The same thing is happening to our auto industry too. If this blockage is successful there needs to be a major media campaign in America explaining the situation that is happening here in Korea and boycott by the American people against Korean products. We’ll see how long their economy lasts without the American market. Koreans are afraid of their domestic beef market and rice market tanking because they will have to be competitive with foreign suppliers. I say “Oh well”. That’s what happens when you want to play on the global market. You can’t only enjoy one side of the equation.
My 2 cents.
8:30 am on February 14th, 2012 3
Ain’t xenophobia grand?
Buncha “racist losers” protesting stuff they know nothing about… They’re just mouthpieces for the Deperks of Beijing… Whether they’re smart enough to have been paid or not is questionable…
8:58 am on February 14th, 2012 4
Some thoughts…
The reason “the same thing is happening to our auto industry” is because American car companies make crap cars at a high price and Korean car companies make good cars at a reasonable price…
…and back them up with a long warranty.
Short warranties are for companies that don’t even believe in their own products.
Companies like Zenith and RCA were sucking the life out of five year old designs while Sony was selling the latest features with the sharpest picture at a reasonable price.
American industry just got lazy. Japanese industry has gotten lazy. Korean industry is getting lazy.
Also, a year or two ago, Korea started exporting more to China than America… which weakens a lot of import duty threats.
Lots more… gotta run.
10:43 am on February 15th, 2012 5
Zenith was bought by LG.