[Editorial] Pursuit of free trade

It is regrettable that the parliamentary ratification of the free trade agreement with the United States on Tuesday was marred by violence, as is often the case with the passage of bitterly contested bills. But free trade is what Korea needs to pursue as a nation whose economic progress has been driven by exports.

The trade bill deserved bipartisan support, given that it was initiated by the opposition when it was in power. The least that could be expected was for the bill to be put to a vote in an orderly manner. But neither happened.

Instead, a lawmaker from the progressive Democratic Labor Party set off a teargas device in the Assembly. Lawmakers from the Democratic Party scuffled with their counterparts from the ruling Grand National Party in a vain attempt to obstruct the approval of the trade bill.

The opposition was subject to public denunciation for the use of force. Still, a modicum of solace could be found in the absence of serious injury.

President Lee Myung-bak’s administration and his governing party have their share of the blame because they failed to win solid public support for the bill’s passage. Few would believe that they did their best to connect with the public. According to a recent opinion poll, 48.3 percent of the respondents were for its passage and 33.7 percent were against.

The administration intends to complete all necessary domestic procedures at an early date to ensure that the agreement will take effect on Jan. 1. It is going into effect when the nation’s economy, whose prospects are murky, needs a shot in the arm. It should help brighten the economic outlook, given a forecast that it will add 5.66 percent to the nation’s growth and create 351,000 additional jobs during the next 10 years.

The nation now needs to make the most of the trade agreement. With assistance from the administration, Korean exporters to the United States will have to learn what they need to do if they are to derive all possible benefits the agreement offers.

With the Korea-U.S. trade agreement ratified, the administration will now have to brush up on proposals for similar bilateral accords with China and Japan. It also needs to carefully study Beijing’s latest proposal to start negotiations on a tripartite agreement involving China, Korea and Japan at an early date.