Translation errors force S. Korea to withdraw ratification bill for trade accord with U.S.

South Korea on Wednesday temporarily withdrew a ratification bill for a trade accord with the United States from parliament to correct translation errors.


The move is expected to lower impetus for getting the two-way free trade agreement between Seoul and Washington endorsed here and delay possible legislative approval by South Korean parliament by months, according to local reports.


The provisional withdrawal is also an embarrassment for the country's trade ministry, which came under public criticism after some 200 translation errors were found in the Korean text of a free trade agreement with the European Union.


South Korea and the United States faced domestic opposition against legislative endorsement of the trade deal, originally signed in 2007, due to differences over auto trade imbalances and U.S. beef imports.


They managed to settle differences in supplementary agreements reached last December, a move believed to have cleared a hurdle for U.S. congressional approval of the deal.


U.S. officials who recently visited Seoul, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, have called for a prompt ratification of the bill, raising prospects for the long-delayed endorsement.
(Source:http://news.xinhuanet.com)