hankyoreh

Thousands of South Korea farmers, workers and activists opposed to free trade talks with the United States are expected to take to the streets of Seoul Saturday, accusing their government of hastily pushing to open its market wider to imports under Washington's pressure, police and organizers said.

Top negotiators from Seoul and Washington are engaged in the third day of talks aimed at concluding a free trade agreement (FTA) between the two governments, which the protesters say would threaten their livelihoods with cheaper agricultural goods and harsh working conditions, including lower wages.

The five-day round is believed to be the last planned before the 10-month-long negotiations are officially brought to a close at the end of this month.

The Korean Alliance Against the Korea-U.S. FTA, a leading opposition group, said it foresees a total of 5,000 protesters gathering at several locations, including Seoul City Hall plaza.

Police said they have deployed about 12,000 riot police to block demonstrators from affecting the ongoing talks between the two countries at a hotel in downtown Seoul. Another 18,000 police guards have been deployed to curb anti-FTA protests expected to sprout across the city, police said.

Police have issued warnings that any demonstration would be considered illegal and dealt with seriously, citing past anti-FTA protests that have often flared into violence.

After successfully concluding negotiations on competition policy and customs affairs, the FTA negotiators said they were near agreement in as many as eight areas, including electronic commerce, government procurement and labor environment.

The end-of-March deadline is set by U.S. negotiators because they must submit any FTA to Congress by April 2 for a mandatory 90-day review before a yes-or-no vote without amendments under U.S.

President George W. Bush's "fast-track" trade promotion authority, which expires on July 1.
Seoul, March 10 (Yonhap News)