March 29, 2007	Thursday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 9, 1428

SEOUL, March 28: South Korean and US negotiators were bogged down in tough free trade talks, an official said on Wednesday, as opponents of the proposed deal again took to the streets to denounce it.

“Not a single issue is easy,” Min Dong-seok, deputy minister for trade at South Korea's Agriculture and Forestry Ministry, told reporters. “Both sides have outstanding differences and are engaged in a tug of war.”

While most sectors have been settled, negotiators acknowledge that automobiles, South Korea's rice market and the status of South Korean goods manufactured in North Korea are among a handful of contentious issues blocking a deal.

Time is a critical factor as the two sides are trying to conclude an agreement by the end of this month to have it considered under special US presidential authority.

That so-called “fast track” power allows President George W. Bush to send trade agreements to lawmakers for a straight yes-or-no vote without amendments, seen as making passage through a US Congress sometimes sceptical of trade deals easier.

An agreement to slash tariffs and other barriers would be the biggest for Washington since the landmark North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico in 1993.

South Korea has refused to discuss, including its rice market in the deal, claiming the staple food is a “sensitive sector” that should be excluded. Washington, at odds with North Korea over its nuclear programme, says any deal should include only goods made in South Korea.

Government officials on both sides say an agreement would boost economic ties between two countries that already do more than $75 billion (euro56 billion) in trade a year.

South Korean opponents, however, fear an influx of cheaper US goods will harm livelihoods and cost jobs.

Protests by farmers, workers, students and anti-globalisation activists in South Korea have dogged the negotiations since they began almost 10 months ago, though numbers have dwindled. The biggest, in July, numbered about 25,000 people.

On Sunday, 7,000 demonstrators took to streets of the capital, culminating in a peaceful rally in front of the US Embassy.

“Korea's negotiators are unjustly forcing the conclusion of the talks only for the sake of concluding them,” said opponent Park Seok-woon, reflecting the anger of opponents who feel South Korea is rushing the deal for the United States.

Park is executive director of the Korean Alliance Against the Korea-US FTA, which comprises about 300 different groups. The organisation held a candlelight protest on Wednesday evening.

Police estimated about 1,300 people gathered near Seoul City Hall, chanting slogans and listening to speeches and songs critical of the deal.—AP