Almost Certainly No Action in the 17th National Assembly

It looks extremely unlikely that the current (17th) National Assembly will take action on the FTA before it comes to an end this month: Opposition Party Threatens to Scuttle FTA Over Beef (Dong-A Ilbo, May 12):

The main opposition United Democratic Party yesterday said it will refuse to ratify the free trade deal with the United States unless both countries renegotiate their beef import agreement.

With the extraordinary parliamentary session ending May 24, prospects seem dim for the free trade accord’s ratification within the term of the 17th National Assembly.

The party reached the decision in a joint meeting of floor leaders and members of the parliamentary unification, foreign affairs and trade committee. At the National Assembly, they discussed how to respond to the beef deal and the public hearing on the free trade deal set for Tuesday and Wednesday.

Floor leader Kim Hyo-seok said the agreement is not worth discussing without renegotiation of beef imports. “Let me clearly declare the position of the United Democratic Party: [the agreement] will not be put on the negotiating table,” he said.

“We will use this public hearing as an opportunity to delve into what went on between the Korean Embassy in Washington and the Agriculture Ministry April 10-11 (when the beef negotiations began), and how the ministry’s position on beef imports changed over those two days.”...

Opposition vows to block FTA unless beef deal reconsidered (Trading Markets.com, May 12):

South Korean opposition parties vowed Sunday to refuse to endorse a free trade deal between Seoul and Washington unless a recent beef deal between the two sides is reworked to address fears of mad cow disease.

The effort, led by the United Democratic Party (UDP) and other minor parties, is expected to last until late May when the current parliament's four-year term expires. The next National Assembly will be dominated by the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), which secured a simple majority in the single 299-member house in the April 9 elections.

Parties to wrangle over FTA at hearing Tuesday (Shin Hae-in, May 12, Yonhap News):

South Korea's rival political parties are expected to bicker over a free trade deal with Washington in a parliamentary hearing Tuesday, as public support for the agreement appears to be waning amid a growing uproar over a controversial deal to resume imports of American beef.