Government Will Conclude the Rice Negotiations toward the Grace Period for the Tarification within This Year

The government’s plan for the results of the rice negotiations has been substantially inclined toward the grace period for the tarification.

However, it appears that South Korea will face tough situations until the end of the negotiations since some farmers’ groups including the Korean Peasants League urged for the re-negotiation of the rice market opening.

According to the related departments of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on December 23, the government delegate for the rice negotiations decided to report an implementation plan for the grace period of the tarification to the World Trade Organization around December 29 or 30 after concluding additional agreements with negotiating countries, including the United States and India, that have different opinions until the end.

An anonymous government official said, “According to the convergence of opinions through various channels, including the fact that Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Huh Sang-man met with leaders of farmers’ organizations, opinions are converging on the grace period for the tarification rather than the tarification up-to-date.

Ji-Wan Cha cha@donga.com