Ruling party to seek ratification of Korea-U.S. FTA in August

SEOUL, July 10 (Yonhap) -- The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) will seek to pass a government bill on the ratification of a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States during the parliamentary session next month, ruling party lawmakers said Sunday.
The decision was reached at a joint workshop of the party's supreme council and policy committee where new leaders of the party also decided to push through a controversial bill on North Korean human rights during the August session of the unicameral legislature.
The workshop came less than a week after Rep. Hong Joon-pyo was elected as the new GNP leader at a national convention held Monday. Sunday's workshop also included the four other members of the supreme council, who were also elected at last week's national convention.
"The meeting reaffirmed the party's decision to push for the passage of the Korea-U.S. FTA and the North Korean human rights law in the August session of the National Assembly," GNP spokeswoman Rep. Bae Eun-hee told reporters.
Such a move could prompt violent clashes between the rival parties as they have in the past.
The Korea-U.S. FTA was signed over four years ago in 2007, but the government's ratification bill has been blocked partly because of strong objections from the main opposition Democratic Party and the country's farming industry.
The North Korean human rights bill passed the parliament's unification committee in February 2010, but has since been sitting idly at the legislation and judiciary committee because of strong protests from the Democratic Party, which insists the bill will only worsen human rights conditions for North Koreans as well as relations between the two Koreas.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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