US Congressmen Challenge US-ROK FTA

The Chosun is not happy that members of the US Congress are trying to begin renegotiations of the recently signed Free Trade Agreement between Korea and America:

Two U.S. Congressmen — Charles Rangel, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Sander Levin, chairman of the trade subcommittee — have written to the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to call for renegotiations of the U.S. free trade agreement with Korea. The letter urges new talks with Korea on systematic barriers in automobiles, industrial products, agricultural and service markets.

This is the second time the U.S. has raised objections to the Korea-U.S. FTA, following a call for renegotiations on the environment and labor. These requests for renegotiations go against the general principles of negotiations and international norms.

Here is my favorite paragraph from the article:

The existing Korea-U.S. FTA was reached only after both sides took strenuous pains to find a balance between each other’s interests. Trying to unilaterally redesign the agreement to their advantage is tantamount to attempting to break the backbone of the trade pact. And the moment the U.S. shifts the burden of fresh negotiations onto Korea’s shoulders, the deal will go to pieces.

What I like about this paragraph is that it is quite ironic if you substitute Korea-US FTA in the paragraph with the US-ROK cost sharing agreement.  The US-ROK coast sharing agreement was reached late last year after long negotiations only to be unilaterally changed by the Korean government (see here & here) when they saw an opportunity to do so to their advantage when former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was forced to resign. 

The FTA will not be renegotiated.  The two Congressmen in question are trying to score domestic political points with their constituencies in the US over the FTA, especially Senator Levin since he is from Michigan the home of the American auto industry.  They have to give an appearance of going down fighting against the Korea-US FTA in order to secure votes at home. 

With all this said I find it more than little ironic that the leading South Korean newspaper, the Chosun Ilbo is complaining about a couple of Democrat Congressmen playing domestic politics over the FTA and yet says nothing when the Korean government pulled one of the biggest back stabbings of the US in the history of the US-ROK alliance last December.