[Editorial] What Made Korea Isolated in World Economy

We feel alienated when we hear the news that China entered into the free trade agreement with the Association of Southeast Asian nations (ASEAN) last year and Japan made a free trade agreement with Singapore some days ago. That`s because we have not yet made a free trade agreement with any country. Many years have already passed since the government declared the promotion to make a free trade agreement, but the government has spent time on the `Sun Shine policy` and `corruption gates` while neighboring rival countries were quick to take up advantages.

The world is changing with marvelous rapidity. The European Union (EU) started to use the euro single currency, and the U.S., which has the largest domestic market, is in a hurry to complete the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) in which 34 countries in North and South Americas will participate by 2005, feeling that the mega block of North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is insufficient.

The agreement between Japan and Singapore implies that the wave of blocks in the world economy is surging in the area of northeastern Asia. There are about 120 free trade agreements between 2 countries or among several countries. Japan and China, which are in direct competition, had not entered into any free trade agreements even 3 years ago. But these countries started to make agreements one after the other, competing to seize the initiative in the East Asian economy.

Our country has promoted the free trade agreement with Chile of South America since late 1998. But there has been no progress despite several negotiations for the removal of tariff, because of the objections from each country to the agricultural market opening. Some criticize that it chose a wrong partner, but what is the Trade Negotiation Office for if there is no agreement even among the governmental departments? It should have persuaded farmers for the sake of national interest even though the farmers opposed.

President Kim Dae-Jung regarded himself as a `diplomatic president` when the government was first launched, but now we are being isolated in the trend of blocking in world economy. It may be important for the President to lead the sales diplomacy, but to strengthen the basis of diplomacy in a long-term point of view is far more important. We cannot be negligent in rooting out the corruption gates and preparing for the World Cup and general election, but the world does not wait for us. Once left behind in the current of world economy, we have no control over what happens next. We must not forget history when we lost our country because we could not read the currents of the world just one century ago.