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OK, I am up to September 7. I hope to get up to September 26 (including the Chuseok holiday) by Monday and will then start getting pieces from multiple sources again.
Although I think the Korea Times is the best English-language source of Korean political news, I am sure I have missed a lot of August and September news by relying on only one source.
I hope I will not fall this far behind again.
Korea Times, September 7, 2007
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stressed in a statement Friday that the free trade agreement (FTA) between the United States and South Korea is the most crucial step ahead for the country to join the ranks of advanced countries.
On the same day, the government submitted a bill on the deal to the National Assembly for approval.
The Assembly will endorse the bill if more than a majority of lawmakers who participate in the regular session vote for ratification.
However, the government will likely walk a rocky road because almost a quarter of lawmakers oppose the FTA.
``The FTA will be a cornerstone to strengthen the nation's economic competitiveness,'' the prime minister said. ``For this, the deal should promptly come into effect.''
Han said the government expects that productive discussions about the FTA will take place in the National Assembly and, if necessary, Cabinet members will participate in these to clarify doubts.
He also said that the government is prepared to share benefits gained from the economic deal with people who might sustain a loss.
The administration will come up with countermeasures to help the agricultural sector, especially farmers, he added.
Han vowed to formulate policies so that everyone can enjoy benefits from the FTA.
The prime minister expressed expectations that the FTA with the U.S. would form the basis for future deals with the E.U. and other nations such as China, Mexico and Canada.
However, it remains uncertain whether the Assembly will ratify the FTA due to the opposition of some lawmakers.
On Wednesday, more than 70 lawmakers from the pro-government United New Democratic Party, the main opposition Grand National Party and the minority Democratic Labor Party submitted a request to the Assembly, calling for an inspection of the FTA.
They insisted that the government had neglected public opinion opposing the deal, and failed to clarify suspicions regarding the agreement.
South Korea and the U.S. reached the FTA on April 2 after having eight rounds of negotiations and several informal talks.
Many people, including farmers and workers, staged rallies against the agreement calling the deal an unequal one.
ksy@koreatimes.co.kr
Korea Times, September 7, 2007
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
The five presidential contenders of the pro-government United New Democratic Party (UNDP) supported continuing the ``sunshine policy'' of engagement toward North Korea during a debate featuring their individual campaign pledges, Friday.
However, former Gyeonggi Governor Sohn Hak-kyu was attacked by the remaining contenders due to his previous affiliation with the conservative Grand National Party.
The five were seemingly divided into two groups of three loyalists to President Roh Moo-hyun and two non-loyalists.
Roh loyalists include former Prime Ministers Lee Hae-chan and Han Myeong-sook, and former Minister of Health and Welfare Rhyu Si-min while the other group includes Sohn and former Minister of Unification Chung Dong-young.
The competition between the two groups will likely continue during four more televised debates and joint rallies in 16 provinces and metropolitan cities starting next Saturday.
``Sohn said he could not welcome an inter-Korean summit that is aimed at winning the presidential election, which is irresponsible,'' Han said.
The former governor rebuffed this saying that he was trying to stress that the president should not be involved with the presidential race.
``I advised Roh to have an inter-Korean summit even if he had only one day left in his term of office,'' Sohn said.
They also attacked his 15-year-affiliation with the GNP from which he bolted on March 15.
``Sohn came from the conservative Grand National Party, so I doubt he is suitable for the UNDP,'' Lee said in a televised debate aired by the MBC a day earlier.
The former governor defended his decision saying he joined the UNDP _ launched Aug. 5 _ for a coalition of centrists earlier than the three Roh loyalists.
The three supporters of the president also attacked Chung Dong-young and his achievements as a unification minister.
Chung highlighted that South and North Korea agreed to construct a joint industrial complex in Gaesong, a North Korean border city, while he was serving as a unification minister between 2004 and 2005.
Han claimed that he is exaggerating his efforts for the Gaesong complex, something the two Koreas actually agreed on before his tenure.
The three loyalists also criticized his defection from the now-defunct governing Uri Party, the de facto predecessor to the UNDP during the MBC debate.
Chung, a co-founder of the Uri Party, worked as the party's chairman twice, in 2004 and 2006, respectively.
The once-largest Uri Party was disbanded after suffering from consecutive desertions. Chung deserted it on June 18.
The three Roh loyalists are allegedly considering forming an alliance to defeat the two frontrunners Sohn and Chung but still differ over who will represent the Roh supporters' group.
ksy@koreatimes.co.kr
Korea Times, September 6, 2007
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Former Gyeonggi Governor Sohn Hak-kyu has narrowly edged Chung Dong-young, former minister of unification, in the pro-government United New Democratic Party's (UNDP) preliminary Wednesday.
Sohn's camp, which had affirmed a landslide victory, expressed embarrassment over the small margin of a 0.29 percentage point.
The slight gap between the two leading contenders could lead Chung to win the party's primary race to pick the standard-bearer which is slated for Oct. 15, political observers said.
Sohn, 62, topped the preliminary to select five finalists out of nine contenders with 4,667 eligible votes or 24.75 percent.
The party conducted a telephone survey on 10,000 voters registered with the party and 2,400 randomly selected citizens on Monday and Tuesday, and asked them to pick two contenders.
Chung, 54, ranked second with 4,613 votes or 24.46 percent.
The margin was just 54 votes or 0.29 percentage point, which, political observers said, can be switched at any time.
Three loyalists to President Roh Moo-hyun were included in the five finalists.
The three won a combined 33.93 percent which means that they can defeat both Sohn and Chung if they form an alliance in the primary race.
Former Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, 55, who ranked third with 2,709 votes or 14.37 percent, gained votes mostly from supporters of Roh, party sources said.
The fourth place went to Rhyu Si-min, 48, who received 1,913 votes or 10.14 percent.
Earlier, the party announced that former Prime Minister Han Myeong-sook, 62, placed fourth. But it corrected it and said she ranked fifth with 1,776 votes or 9.42 percent.
Those who unsuccessfully ran in the preliminary were former lawmaker Choo Mi-ae; former Justice Minister Chun Jung-bae; Shin Ki-nam and Kim Doo-kwan.
The party's preliminary committee had agreed not to announce how many votes each contender won in the preliminary but made public the results at the request of Rhyu's camp who switched his place from fifth to fourth at the final tally.
Some lawmakers of the party claimed that the preliminary committee should take responsibilities for the confusion caused by the ballot re-counting.
The party was created last month mostly by deserters from the now-disbanded Uri Party and some from the minor opposition Democratic Party.
ksy@koreatimes.co.kr
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