[EDITORIAL]Korea-U.S. [Free Trade Agreement] turmoil

The Korea Herald ^ | July 12, 2006 | Editorial

[Ebenezer]

President Roh Moo-hyun is facing a formidable challenge to his rule through the intensifying nationwide movement against a free trade agreement between Korea and the United States. Most embarrassingly, the president finds many of his hitherto trusted supporters among the ranks of anti-FTA forces accusing him of selling the nation out to the U.S.

Since entering Cheong Wa Dae [assuming office], the progressive president has followed policies favoring the poorer citizens which are considered unkind to the richer sector. Now, all lower echelons in Korea's economic pyramid have turned their backs on the president. Notable among some 300 anti-FTA civic groups which will take part in demonstrations in downtown Seoul today is the National Union of Media Workers that has been consistently sympathetic with Roh's policies since his inauguration three and a half years ago.

MBC and KBS networks refuse to be branded any longer as "royal guards" of the administration. They have recently aired news documentaries raising doubts about the effect of an FTA with the world's only superpower, taking the examples of Mexico and Canada. Tiny voices in support of a "KORUS FTA" are heard from some unexpected conservative groups while the main opposition Grand National Party, mired in a leadership contest, has taken a rather nonchalant stance, only admonishing the administration against "hasty, nontransparent" decisions.

The shift in support by former allies of the president over the FTA issue threatens to lower his approval rate further to the unprecedented single-digit level. By Monday, President Roh seemed to have realized there was a crisis for his government and ordered the creation of an inter-ministerial "domestic countermeasures team" whose mission is to check various anti-FTA opinions and positions and address them thoroughly.

The presidential action was a little too late. Many, who do not know much about the FTA, are against it simply because it is being pushed by President Roh, who they do not like. They are easily persuaded by activists who argue that the president is pursuing the KORUS FTA to create a personal legacy after presiding over a largely unproductive administration.

Farmers believe an FTA with the United States will inundate the local agricultural market with cheap U.S. rice and other produce. Industrial workers fear they would lose jobs through forced restructuring, and unionized teachers predict public education will be jeopardized by the influx of U.S. educational institutions and merchandise which will become instantly popular among Korean parents. Half-truths, exaggerations and outright fabrications are mixed with genuine causes for concern. These capture the attention of the general public who are not going to listen to explanations from an unpopular government.

Paradoxically, government authorities might be expecting that any violent protests in Seoul by the alliance of militant farmers, workers and radical student groups would help turn the tide in favor of the KORUS FTA. Whatever the ultimate strategy of our economic and diplomatic officials might be, civic disorder should be prevented by all means.

Washington may want to finish the FTA negotiations with Korea by March to take advantage of the presidential fast track authority under the Trade Act, but we see a long road ahead until a final conclusion of the bilateral pact. The administration, from President Roh on down, should make an earnest effort to convince the citizens why an FTA with the world's strongest and richest country will not be a tool of economic exploitation, and how significantly it will increase jobs, accelerate GDP growth and help the nation move into the long-craved advanced ranks in the global economy.