Few hopeful signs emerge ahead of new round of Seoul-Washington trade talks

[Joanne98]

Few hopeful signs emerge ahead of new round of Seoul-Washington trade talks

By Kim Deok-hyun
INCHEON/SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korea and the U.S. are set to start a new round of free trade talks in Seoul on Monday that experts say could help gauge whether they can reach a deal in time to open their economies to each other.

Outwardly, the mood is subdued with little sign of a breakthrough expected in this week's round, the sixth since June last year. They have already decided to skip official discussions on such key pending issues as anti-dumping rules, autos and beef. They even "tentatively" decided to hold another round in February.

But many experts warn against being overly pessimistic, saying that real give-and-take may be made in backroom negotiations. In fact, South Korean officials confirmed that key disputes will be tackled at informal top-level contacts.

"In free trade negotiations, the thorniest problems are often left until the end of the talks," Cheong In-kyo, an economics professor at Inha University, said.

Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Wendy Cutler, the chief U.S. negotiator in free trade talks with South Korea, arrived at Incheon International Airport late Sunday amid heavy security. Upon her arrival, Cutler told reporters that she expects the sixth round to be "productive."
At the airport, a dozen activists opposing the free trade talks held a protest. The demonstrators, including some in cow costumes to symbolize the beef issue, shouted "No! FTA." and "Wendy Cutler Go Home!" as the top American negotiator arrived. There was no clash between the activists and police.
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