The ruling and opposition parties of South Korea have agreed to deliberate a motion to ratify the free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States in February, the Korea Times reported on Wednesday.
The agreement was made after the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) ended its 12-day occupation of the National Assembly main chamber and two committee conference rooms earlier on Tuesday, the daily newspaper said.
DP legislators and their aides had occupied the Assembly since late December to block the ruling party's possible unilateral passage of the disputed bills, particularly the FTA motion with the U.S. and media-related bills.
The two sides agreed that the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) can push for a vote on the FTA after discussions with opposition lawmakers, even if they oppose it, the Korea Times said.
The conservative GNP has 172 seats in the 298-member parliament, enough to ensure the passage of any bills, except for a revision of the Constitution, without the participation of opposition legislators. The liberal DP has 83 seats.
In previous talks, the ruling party insisted that the bills should be passed in February, while the DP reiterated that they should work toward gaining approval without setting specific deadlines.
Opposition parties have called for more relief programs to assist local farmers and companies expected to suffer business losses if the FTA pact goes into effect.
Source:Xinhua
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