A man protests free trade talks between South Korea and the United States in Seoul on March 28. AP PHOTO

The deal, which requires approval by lawmakers in both countries, is expected to lead to more than 90 percent of U.S. exports to South Korea being duty free within three years.

In Washington, two key senators warned though that the agreement will not be approved unless South Korea drops a ban on the import of U.S. beef that it imposed in December 2003 after the first reported U.S. case of mad cow disease. Negotiators were unable to resolve this issue during the free trade talks.

While many business groups from high-tech to music voiced support for the deal, auto executives at Ford Motor Co. and Daimler Chrysler AG's U.S. unit Chrysler Group said they would urge rejection because negotiators failed to do enough to lift Korea's high barriers to U.S.-made cars.

It is the biggest trade deal ever for South Korea, which in nearly 50 years has grown from one of the world's poorest countries to become its 10th-largest economy.

"We cannot become an advanced country without challenging ourselves," President Roh Moo-hyun said in a televised address, addressing the concerns of many who felt South Korea cannot compete against an economy 15 times bigger.

The bilateral deal is considered to be positive for multilateral efforts like the Doha Round of trade talks.

The Japan Times Weekly: April 7, 2007
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