South Korea's parliament subcommittee on Friday voted down the nation's free trade pact with the European Union, frustrating the ruling Grand National Party, which had hoped to get the bill through this month in order to ratify it by July as agreed upon by the two sides.
After a government briefing on protective measures for local industries, the six-member legislation subcommittee of the Assembly's foreign affairs and trade committee put the trade bill to a standing vote, officials said.
But the bill was rejected by a vote of 3 to 2, with ruling Grand National Party lawmaker Jungwook Hong withdrawing from the vote.
"I cast a blank ballot in opposition against their move to ram through (the bill) with force," Hong said.
Opposition lawmakers have called for preparing protective measures for the country's hog and dairy industries hit hard by the recent outbreaks of the foot-and-mouth disease.
The pact was first introduced to the parliamentary committee in October but has since been withdrawn twice as its Korean-language version was riddled with translation errors.
The European Parliament approved the EU's largest bilateral free trade deal in February.
The GNP controls a majority with 171 seats in the 298-member unicameral parliament.
Rep. Kang Ki-gab of the minor opposition Democratic Labor Party
(DLP) strongly opposed the bill, claiming it does not do enough to protect farmers who will be hurt by a surge in imports. His party is supported by the politically vocal farm lobby.
The trade pact will be presented to the plenary session later Friday for further discussion on how to ratify it, officials noted.
The agreement, if it takes effect, will eliminate 98 percent of import duties and other trade barriers in manufactured goods, agricultural products and services between South Korea and the EU within the next five years. (Yonhap News)
An opposition lawmaker (center) tries to block the subcommittee chairman's proceeding of the voting on the Korea-EU FTA ratification bill in the National Assembly on Friday. (Yonhap News)
한ㆍEU FTA 비준안, 외통위 소위서 부결(종합)
전체회의로 넘겨져 재논의..한나라 홍정욱 `기권 뒤 퇴장'
(서울=연합뉴스) 한ㆍEU(유럽연합) FTA(자유무역협정) 비준동의 안이 15일 외교통상통일위 법안심사소위에서 부결됐다.
외통위 법안심사소위(위원장 유기준)는 이날 오전 회의를 열어 정부측으로부터 한ㆍEU FTA에 따른 국내 산업ㆍ농어업 피해대책을 들은 뒤 비준안 처리를 위한 기립 표결을 벌인 결과, 찬성 3명, 반대 2명, 기권 1명으로 부결됐다.
이에 따라 한ㆍEU FTA 비준안은 부결된 상태로 전체회의에 넘겨져 회의를 통해 비준안 처리 방향을 놓고 다시 논의해야 한다.
이날 비준안 처리에 찬성한 의원은 한나라당 간사이자 소위 위원장인 유기준 의 원과 김충환 최병국 의원, 반대 의원은 민주당 간사인 김동철 의원과 신낙균 의원이 었다. 한나라당 홍정욱 의원은 기권을 표시한 뒤 퇴장했다.
이 과정에서 한나라당 의원들은 "충분히 논의했음에도 민주당이 성의가 없다. 너무 한 것 아니냐"고 했고, 민주당 의원들은 "정부 대책이 충분치 않은데 어떻게 통과시킬 수 있느냐"고 맞서면서 날카로운 설전이 펼쳐졌다.
표결에서 기권한 홍 의원은 연합뉴스 기자와 만나 "물리력을 동원해 강행 처리 하려는 데 반대해 기권했다"고 말했다.
한편 이날 회의 초반부터 회의장에 들어와 있던 민주노동당 강기갑 의원은 "강 행 처리를 해서는 안된다"고 고함을 치기도 했다.
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