SKorea's parliament ratifies US trade deal

SKorea's parliament ratifies US trade deal

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South Korea's parliament ratified a long-stalled free trade deal with the United States on Tuesday after ruling party lawmakers forced a vote amid shouts and shoves from opposition rivals.

Shouts filled the National Assembly as lawmakers pushed, shoved and screamed while ruling party lawmakers forced their way onto the parliamentary floor. One opposition lawmaker fired tear gas, reports said. Some lawmakers were seen wiping their eyes after being doused with the chemical.

South Korean lawmakers voted 151 to 7 in favor of ratifying the landmark trade agreement in a surprise legislative session called by the ruling Grand National Party, parliamentary officials said.

A key sticking point was a provision that opponents say would allow investors to take disputes falling under the agreement's jurisdiction to a U.S.-influenced international arbitration panel. The opposition

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Why don't we have representation like this in the USA?

To break this down, apparently some lawmakers in South Korea are against this free trade agreement because it would hand jurisdiction of certain matters to a US court.

So disputes or crimes perpetrated by investors on South Korean SOVEREIGN land would be handled by an international arbitration panel rather than local authorities. It makes sense to me that lawmakers would like their legal institutions to have the final say on legal matters within the country.

There is also concern that the trade agreement favors US workers over South Korean workers. I have not read the agreement and don't have a solid understanding of exactly what it entails, but it seems honorable to me that a man would risk so much trying to protect his country and countrymen - here in the US lawmakers seemingly promote outsourcing our jobs and allowing international bodies to have an active role in US government policy.

So while it might seem like a debacle, and I'm sure the media will eventually paint it that way, I for one commend Kim Seon-dong for his patriotic acts. What do you think ATS? Should American lawmakers be more willing to risk their reputations and livelihood to protect their constituents? What do you think would happen if a member of Congress exploded tear gas in Congress to block, say, the Patriot Act? Hero or rogue?

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