President, opposition leader agree to hold talks next week

SEOUL (Yonhap) - President Lee Myung-bak and the main opposition Democratic Party's leader Sohn Hak-kyu will meet next Monday to discuss the free trade agreement with the United States, college tuitions and other pending issues, both sides said Tuesday.
The two sides have been in talks to set a meeting date and agenda after DP leader Sohn made the dialogue offer last week. Next week's talks will mark the first of its kind in about three years since September 2008 when then-DP leader Chung Sye-kyun held talks with Lee.
Six major agenda items will be discussed at the talks, including the trade pact with the U.S., public calls for lowering college tuition fees, job creation, household debts and a corruption scandal involving savings banks, both sides said.
The trade pact, signed in 2007 and supplemented last December, has been awaiting approval from the legislatures of the two countries. The DP has been calling for a renegotiation of the deal, saying the pact favors the U.S.
He earlier said he wants to discuss economic issues such as college tuitions, job creation, home rental prices and labor disputes.