South Korean trade politics: NOT for the faint of heart

Thought the West had a monopoly on contentious trade politics? Think again:

Opposition lawmakers ended their violent, 12-day siege of South Korea’s parliament Tuesday after successfully delaying a vote on a major U.S. free-trade deal. Democratic Party legislators had occupied the National Assembly since Dec. 26, fending off security guards who tried to drag them out by force last week. The sit-in ended after the ruling Grand National Party abandoned its bid to ram through the legislation before President-elect Barack Obama takes office Jan. 20. South Korea and the U.S. agreed to the landmark accord in 2007 to slash tariffs and other barriers to trade, but the deal sparked an outcry from farmers and labor, and Obama has hinted he will seek to renegotiate it. The deal would be the largest for the U.S. since the North American Free Trade Agreement more than a decade ago.

Of course, all this comes after the opposition tried to force their way into a barricaded room where the free trade agreement was being discussed using sledgehammers back in December. Yes, sledgehammers. Grand National Party members responded in kind, spraying fire extinguishers at the opposition party members. Yes, (sigh)... fire extinguishers. At least one person left the scene with blood streaming down their face.

Ridiculous as this all sounds, politics devolving into fisticuffs is not so unusual in South Korea. Still, it shows how contentious the domestic politics of trade can be on both sides of a proposed agreement. South Koreans are uncomfortable importing American beef, among other things. Americans are frustrated at South Korean quotas on imported autos, among other things.

It's all very unfortunate, because the KORUS FTA is the most economically-meaningful trade deal that the Bush administration managed to negotiate during its tenure. As it stands, you’re more likely to see another bench-clearing brawl in the South Korean National Assembly than this agreement get ratified in either country...

If you haven't seen Emily's excellent post yesterday about the riots in Greece, have a look for another dose of political violence.

(The picture above is from a 2004 brawl in the South Korea National Assembly, via Delaware Online. For the truly unbelievable pictures from the December battle, check out this New York Times article.)