October 6: United States – Korea Free Trade Agreement: A Policy Forum

Friday, October 6, 2017 from 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM (EDT)

Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2044
45 Independence Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20515

United States – Korea Free Trade Agreement:
A Policy Forum

South Korea — the world’s 12th largest economy — is an economic powerhouse 20 percent the size of California. Its economy ranks just below that of Russia, but it is smaller in size than Japan. Revitalized after the war, South Korea has become increasingly democratic and is a major pillar of U.S. defense strategy in the far east.

The United States-Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA) secured the framework of U.S.-Korea trade and investment.  For the U.S. services sector, KORUS is the “gold standard” among U.S. trade agreements, and as such it may serve as the basis for future agreements.  Nonetheless, there are others who hold that KORUS disadvantages the United States and who do not support its renegotiation.

This policy forum, organized by J. Robert Vastine, Senior Industry Fellow, Center for Business and Public Policy, will explore the pros and cons of KORUS.

Wendy Cutler, Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Society Policy Institute will offer introductory framing remarks, followed by a panel discussion moderated by J. Bradford Jensen, Senior Policy Scholar, Center for Business and Public Policy, and McCrane/Shaker Chair in International Business, Georgetown University McDonough School of Business. Panelists include:

• Wendy Cutler, Vice President and Managing Director, Asia Society Policy Institute
• David J. Salmonsen, Senior Director of Congressional Relations, American Farm Bureau Federation
• Brad Smith, Chief International Officer, American Council of Life Insurers