Farmers protest against free trade deal as negotiators continue talks

South Korean farmers gathered in Seoul on Tuesday to protest against a proposed free-trade agreement (FTA) between China and South Korea. Beijing and Seoul are currently holding a seventh round of trade negotiations in the Chinese city of Weifang. About 2,500 farmers gathered outside the Seoul Station Plaza, where they sang, chanted and waved placards denouncing the proposed FTA. They claim economic liberalisation will lead to a flood of Chinese imports, harming South Korea's farming sector. In particular, they want the government to ensure the minimum price of agricultural goods such as rice. "The government must guarantee us the basic production cost of 230-thousand won," explained Lee Kwang-suk, the president of the Korean Peasants League. "The government should also properly set agricultural product prices to ensure that we, farmers, can live well. In terms of the South Korea-China FTA, the government should alternate some of the products (expected to be imported from China) to be provided from our end." Seoul has been in talks with Beijing since May 2012 to negotiate an FTA with its largest trading partner. China is the world's second-biggest economy. South Korea is the 15th largest and home to giant companies such as Samsung. South Korea has free-trade agreements with the European Union and the United States. You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/366413cf2f6743be3ee43e6683994311 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork