2/15/2008 1:35:00 PM
Obama Again Slams Korea FTA
Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama this week renewed his opposition to the proposed free-trade agreement between the United States and South Korea.
The junior senator from Illinois entered a statement into the congressional record on Monday, citing his "firm and unyielding" opposition to the agreement until there is full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Obama did, however, say that an accord was important to American industries, including beef.
"I look forward … to supporting ways to increase our bilateral trade and investment ties through agreements paying proper attention to our key industries and agricultural sectors, such as autos, rice and beef, and to protection of labor and environmental standards," he said.
He added that the FTA's current iteration "does not meet this standard."
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), the other potential democratic presidential nominee, also has opposed the FTA. In a statement released last summer, Clinton said, "I will oppose the pending trade agreements with South Korea … [because] the South Korean agreement does not create a level playing field for American carmakers."
Republican frontrunner John McCain, former senator from Arizona, in a speech last February, lauded the FTA with South Korea. "Completing FTAs with Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea, in concert with the agreements we have already struck with Australia and Singapore, should set the stage for an ambitious Pacific-wide effort to liberalize trade," he said. "Such efforts have very tangible impacts."