Speaking to reporters at the G-20 summit in Toronto, President Obama declared his intention to complete the U.S.–South Korea free-trade agreement, which was signed by the Bush administration three years ago. “I want to make sure that everything is lined up properly by the time I visit Korea in November, and in the few months that follow that, I intend to present it to Congress,” Obama said. “It is the right thing to do for our country, it is the right thing to do for Korea.”
The impetus for U.S. action on the trade deal may have been North Korea’s unprovoked sinking of a South Korean naval ship back in March. (The torpedo assault killed 46 sailors.) South Korea is a vital U.S. ally in a strategically important region, and strengthening bilateral ties would send a clear message to both Pyongyang and Beijing. The White House deserves credit for moving forward on the trade pact, which congressional Democrats have been rigidly opposing for three years now.
