Declaration and Pledge to Oppose the Kor-US FTA

We, the undersigned, express our opposition to the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, which poses a serious threat to public interest in both South Korea and the United States. The Korea-U.S. FTA is based on a model of trade agreement that is designed to profit of transnational capital and big business at the expensive of workers, farmers and common people and has been negotiated through a secretive and undemocratic process. Such a trade agreement must not be implemented.

- We are opposed to the secretive and undemocratic nature through which the Korea-U.S. FTA has been negotiated: FTA talks have been held in remote places
away from public view or in secrete outside of the official negotiations. The South Korean government has routinely withheld relevant information and documents from stakeholders, the National Assembly, and the general public. It has also closed off public debate through insufficient hearings and media censorship. Worse, it has severely suppressed anti-FTA sentiment, banning peaceful protests and arresting protest participants.

- We are opposed to a trade agreement that will destroy the livelihood of South Korean farmers and harm the environment: The Korea-U.S. FTA calls for
unconditional opening of the South Korean agricultural market to cheap overproduced American-grown products. The consequent deterioration of Korean agriculture will have devastating social, cultural, and environmental effects: Statistics show that roughly half of South Korea’s farmers will be unable to maintain their farms and be forced to join the ranks of the urban poor. The resultant destruction of rural communities will mean the break-up of rural traditions that are the basis of Korean culture, and the deterioration of the rural
environment. The Korea-U.S. FTA also threatens the environment by introducing mechanism through the lowering of environmental standards such as the Investor-State Claim Clause.

- We are opposed to a trade agreement that directly threatens vital public services such as health-care, energy provision and education: The Korea-U.S. FTA calls for higher pricing of pharmaceuticals- benefiting transnational pharmaceutical companies at the expense of access for common people. The FTA will also limit the Korean government’s ability to ensure equitable access to energy and water supply by fostering privatization in these sectors and diminish the validity of public education through the introduction of private U.S.-based testing services, which will increase the demand on students to seek private education programs.

- We are opposed to a trade agreement that threatens cultural diversity by allowing for harmful infringement on South Korea’s cultural industry: Reduction of South Korea’s screen quota, which protects the nation’s film industry, was made a prerequisite for beginning FTA negotiations. Further, the current Korea-U.S. FTA will require removal of similar protections for Korea’s broadcasting industry. These measures endanger the public function of the broadcasting industry and the uniqueness of South Korea’s audio-video language. The
provisions of the Korea-U.S. FTA are inconsistent with the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity Cultural Expressions, which
affirms the right of each member nation to formulate and implement regulations aimed at promoting domestic cultural expression.

- We are opposed to a trade agreement that grants undue powers to investors at the expense of domestic development and public interest: The unconditional
investor-state claims clause included in the Korea-U.S. FTA affords greater privileges to foreign investors than those granted by domestic law, providing a mechanism through which investors’ claims can place enormous monetary penalties on taxpayers and pressure the government to adopt lower environmental and labor standards to avoid future claims. The Korea-U.S. FTA
also calls for a reduction in government procurement contracts in order to open these markets to foreign capital. In South Korea, procurement policy promotes
the growth of thousands of small businesses in various regions, providing entrepreneurial opportunities to businesses that are conscious about environmental and labor issues. As such, they are vital to keeping public
interest alive and maintaining community-government cooperation.

On March 25 at 3:00 PM (South Korea time), tens of thousands of farmers, workers, students and concerned persons will take to the streets throughout
South Korea to protest the KorUS FTA. The following day, 1000 South Koreans
will engage in a hunger strike. (Since March 19 over 100 have been fasting.)

In order to demonstrate the sincerity of our opposition to the KorUS FTA and of our solidarity with the Korean people we pledge to conduct a United States-wide hunger strike to coincide with these activities. Thus, we, the undersigned, pledge to fast from 2:00 AM, March 25 through 2:00 PM, March 26 (Eastern Standard Time). Furthermore, we authorize Korean Americans Against War and Neoliberalism to send this statement of protest, with all signatures collected, to South Korean Consulates across the United States and the South Korea Embassy, the office of United States Trade Representative and White House in Washington, DC.

We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with the Korean people. We call for abrogation of the Korea-U.S. FTA negotiations to date and cancellation of all future talks and legislative processes.