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SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak Sunday urged legislators to quickly pass a sweeping free trade agreement with the United States, to set an example for Congress.
Lee, in remarks at a televised press conference, asked the current parliament to hold an extra session next month to pass the trade pact and other legislation.
His conservative party won a majority in the National Assembly in a general election last week but the new assembly does not start its four-year term until May 30.
"I request parliament to open a extra plenary session in May... there is a pile of work to tackle in order to revitalise the economy," Lee said.
"We have to handle the Bill on the South Korea-US FTA so that the US Congress should hurry up ratification of the FTA.
"The government will thoroughly prepare follow-up measures for farmers."
The pact was signed last June but needs ratification by the legislatures in both countries. Its fate in the US Congress is uncertain, with senior members complaining that it does too little to free up the auto trade.
They also demand that Seoul lift restrictions on the import of US beef --- seen as disguised protectionism -- as a condition for progress on the trade pact. Talks on beef are currently being held in Seoul.
Seoul sees the FTA as the most significant bilateral treaty since the 1954 mutual defence pact and it will be a key topic at Lee's summit meeting with US President George W. Bush this week.
Total trade is worth an annual 80 billion dollars and some studies show this could eventually rise by up to 20 billion dollars under a free trade regime.
- AFP/ir
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