SEOUL, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- A South Korean lawmaker declared a hunger strike to convince his colleagues to debate a free-trade agreement with the United States without throwing punches.
Rep. Jeong Tae-Keun said on his Web site he had sworn off food after previous debates on the pact led to scuffles on the National Assembly floor.
"I'm deeply sorry and ashamed as the National Assembly is on course to an extreme confrontation over a ratification of the Korea-U.S. FTA," Jeong said in a statement Saturday.
Jeong chided both opposition lawmakers and his colleagues from the ruling party for the acrimony despite their earlier pledges to avoid physical violence. Opponents of the FTA say it is overly generous to the United States.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency said fights have broken out before when the ruling Grand National Party has pushed controversial legislation through the 299-member assembly. The GNP has yet to ramrod the trade pact due to concerns of fallout ahead of next year's presidential election.
