Korea Faces Difficulty in Negotiations for Opening Agriculture Market

At the 4th Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), which deals the issue of the New Round, the member countries could not overcome their conflict of views on essential issues. Thus the negotiations are proceeding with difficulties in 4th day conference.

In agriculture sector, Korea faces difficulty because Japan, who had cooperated with Korea, changed her position to possibly accept the draft of Ministerial Declaration in order to keep the negotiation.

According to the government delegation on 12th, the Ministerial Declaration in agricultural sector is likely to be adopted as the first draft.

The importing countries, including Korea, are repeatedly insisting that the expression of `progressive` should be inserted in the draft`s expression of `the substantial curtailment of subsidy` and `the substantial reform of market approach`. But their position will be hardly accepted.

Kim Dong-Keun, the Vice Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, said, ``Dakebe Sutomu, Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, informed his will to accept present draft.``

While the U.S. and E.U. stood firmly to their original positions on the issues of anti-dumping and environment, the developing countries raised their voices with regard to the issues of the execution of the WTO agreement and the public health.

Hwang Doo-Yun, Head of Korean delegation and the Minister of Trade, said, ``Nothing has reached an agreement due to the different interests of the related countries. Although it seems to be difficult reaching smooth agreements by 13th, the due date of negotiations, no one can predict the result of the conference because the member countries have the common view on the necessity of New Round.``

The member countries have negotiated in 6 sectors; agriculture, intellectual property right, public health (patent of drugs), anti-dumping, environment, WTO Rules, and investment and competition policy in order to tune the different interests of each country. But the negotiations have no progress.

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