개혁주의 사회윤리의 관점에서 본 한미FTA

A Study on the Free Trade Agreement between South Korea and United States of America in the Reformed Socio-Ethical Perspective

In the recent South Korean society have there been violent debates about the validity of the FTA between South Korea and the United States of America. The camp who stands for it agrues that it will make South Korea's Export to the American market, the greatest market in the present world, much easier. However, the camp who opposes it argues that it will deteriorate the difficult financial situation of peasants and workers and make South Korean economy dependent upon American economy financially. The pursuit to extend free trade among nations through FTA is valid, for it can support the formation and maintenance of an organic and harmonized world society. Especially the camp opposing the Free Trade Agreement between South Korea and America shows a serious error of ignoring deliberately the apparent economically positive facts which argue against their own argument. Minor problems in agriculture and medicine cannot be the sufficient reasons for refusing the FTA between the two nations, for major economic gains supercede minor problems. However, the FTA between the two nations must be allowed for on the two preconditions. One is that the South Korean government must be able to control the major industries which affect the public interests of people and the multi-national financial capital. The other is the establishment of the social safety net. Furthermore, the ideological direction of the two camps, i.e. the concept of infinite market of the camp standing for the FTA between the two nations and that of alternative globalization, must be refused.