ID :
197734
Thu, 07/28/2011 - 01:08
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/197734
The shortlink copeid
Korean residents rally for FTA ratification
By Lee Chi-dong
WASHINGTON, July 26 (Yonhap) -- Waving a placard and wearing blue T-shirts, more than 70 Korean U.S. residents gathered Wednesday on Capitol Hill to pitch for the ratification of a free trade pact with South Korea.
Most of them came from New York by bus, while others flew in from Los Angeles, Boston, and Atlanta for the "U.S.-Korea Trade Rally" in front of the Cannon House Office Building.
"Approve it now! KORUS FTA," the placard read. Their T-shirts carried the message, "For growth and job creation, KORUS FTA for our community."
The campaign came amid clear doubts that the FTA, signed in 2007, will be submitted for approval before Congress goes into a monthlong summer break. President Barack Obama and congressional leaders are locked in a partisan struggle over sovereign debt limits.
Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) and Rep. Eni Faleomavaega (D-AS), known for their understanding of Korea, joined the event and promised contined efforts for the ratification of the FTA.
Lee Jong-sik, the leader of a grassroots movement for the FTA, said, "The Korean community in the U.S. has waited for four years since the KORUS FTA was forged in 2007. We are deeply concerned about a delay in the ratification process and loss of economic benefits and business opportunities."
WASHINGTON, July 26 (Yonhap) -- Waving a placard and wearing blue T-shirts, more than 70 Korean U.S. residents gathered Wednesday on Capitol Hill to pitch for the ratification of a free trade pact with South Korea.
Most of them came from New York by bus, while others flew in from Los Angeles, Boston, and Atlanta for the "U.S.-Korea Trade Rally" in front of the Cannon House Office Building.
"Approve it now! KORUS FTA," the placard read. Their T-shirts carried the message, "For growth and job creation, KORUS FTA for our community."
The campaign came amid clear doubts that the FTA, signed in 2007, will be submitted for approval before Congress goes into a monthlong summer break. President Barack Obama and congressional leaders are locked in a partisan struggle over sovereign debt limits.
Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) and Rep. Eni Faleomavaega (D-AS), known for their understanding of Korea, joined the event and promised contined efforts for the ratification of the FTA.
Lee Jong-sik, the leader of a grassroots movement for the FTA, said, "The Korean community in the U.S. has waited for four years since the KORUS FTA was forged in 2007. We are deeply concerned about a delay in the ratification process and loss of economic benefits and business opportunities."
