Opposition leader rules out FTA with Japan unless trade imbalances narrowed
TOKYO, June 29 (Yonhap) -- Sohn Hak-kyu, the leader of South Korea's main opposition Democratic Party (DP), said Wednesday that it is difficult to press ahead with a free trade agreement (FTA) with Japan unless large trade imbalances between the two countries are addressed first.
"It is hard to push for FTA negotiations under the current circumstances in which trade and technology are imbalanced (between the two nations) and Japan does not make concessions in agriculture and non-tariff barriers," Sohn told Tokyo-based Korean correspondents during his visit to Japan.
"It is important to make an environment that can win people's consent," he said.
Sohn, 64, considered a 2012 presidential hopeful in the opposition camp, was on a three-day trip to Japan to gain support for South Korea's bid to host its first-ever Winter Olympic Games in 2018 in the eastern alpine city of PyeongChang and to solace residents in tsunami-stricken regions.
"We cannot seek an FTA that is not beneficial to us," Sohn said. "But we can step forward for negotiations if Japan addresses what it has to address" and a mutually beneficial environment is created, he said.
Sohn returned home later Wednesday.
Since the first negotiation session in 2003, the two Asian neighbors have held over 10 rounds of talks, but they have failed to iron out disagreements on the manufacturing and agricultural sectors.
Japan is South Korea's third-largest trading partner with their bilateral trade accounting for 6 percent of South Korea's entire trade volume last year. But South Korea's trade deficit with Japan is steadily growing, reaching a record high of $36.1 billion in 2010.
Separately, South Korea, Japan and China are seeking to form a free trade agreement among the three Northeast Asian countries. (Yonhap)
"It is hard to push for FTA negotiations under the current circumstances in which trade and technology are imbalanced (between the two nations) and Japan does not make concessions in agriculture and non-tariff barriers," Sohn told Tokyo-based Korean correspondents during his visit to Japan.
"It is important to make an environment that can win people's consent," he said.
Sohn, 64, considered a 2012 presidential hopeful in the opposition camp, was on a three-day trip to Japan to gain support for South Korea's bid to host its first-ever Winter Olympic Games in 2018 in the eastern alpine city of PyeongChang and to solace residents in tsunami-stricken regions.
"We cannot seek an FTA that is not beneficial to us," Sohn said. "But we can step forward for negotiations if Japan addresses what it has to address" and a mutually beneficial environment is created, he said.
Sohn returned home later Wednesday.
Since the first negotiation session in 2003, the two Asian neighbors have held over 10 rounds of talks, but they have failed to iron out disagreements on the manufacturing and agricultural sectors.
Japan is South Korea's third-largest trading partner with their bilateral trade accounting for 6 percent of South Korea's entire trade volume last year. But South Korea's trade deficit with Japan is steadily growing, reaching a record high of $36.1 billion in 2010.
Separately, South Korea, Japan and China are seeking to form a free trade agreement among the three Northeast Asian countries. (Yonhap)
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