- Title: SOUTH KOREA: South Korean farmers protest against free trade agreement with China
- Date: 27th November 2012
- Summary: VARIOUS OF SOUTH KOREAN FARMERS CHANTING SLOGANS WHILE RAISING PLACARDS FARMERS CHANTING SLOGANS WHILE HOLDING PLACARDS FARMERS CHANTING PROTEST IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (Korean) CHAIRMAN OF KOREAN CONFEDERATION OF FARMERS, LEE JUN-DONG, SAYING: "South Korea-China Free Trade Agreement will be a fatal blow to farmers, because Koreans and Chinese eat similar foods. We urg
- Embargoed: 12th December 2012 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Korea, Republic of
- Country: South Korea
- Topics: International Relations,Economy
- Reuters ID: LVA2OJA0I5FJJTGM0LHZOMLH273S
- Story Text: About 7,000 farmers held a massive rally in Seoul on Tuesday (November 27) to protest against a free trade deal with China, with the two countries set to accelerate bilateral Free Trade Agreement negotiations.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao met South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on the sidelines of the East Asia summit in Phnom Penh earlier in November and agreed to press ahead with free-trade talks.
Protesters said the deal will hit South Korea's agricultural industry hard, because the costs of production are relatively higher than China's.
Farmers say with the free trade agreement South Korean produce will be less competitive.
"South Korea-China Free Trade Agreement will be a fatal blow to farmers, because Koreans and Chinese eat similar foods. We urge the government to stop the negotiation or to exclude the agricultural sectors from the negotiation," said Lee Jun-dong, the chairman of Korean Confederation of Farmers.
The protesters called for the country to vote for a president who will protect South Korean agriculture.
"We are here to demand the presidential candidates to boost the agricultural economy and stand with us," said Lee Kwang-seok, the chairman of Korean Peasants League.
South Korea's presidential election will be held on December 19 with official campaigns already started on Tuesday.
China's Xinhua news agency quoted Wen as saying that trade between the two countries would likely meet a target of 300 billion U.S. dollars by 2015, up from 220.6 billion U.S. dollars last year. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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