Korean Ambassador To US Visits Philadelphia In Pitch For Trade Deal
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - South Korea's ambassador to the US was in Philadelphia today, as part of a national tour to urge passage of a US-Korea trade agreement.
The US Chamber of Commerce has been taking Korean ambassador Han Duk-soo around the country, joining in the call for a trade deal with South Korea.
His latest stop was at the Packer Avenue Marine Terminal in South Philadelphia (above), where Hyundai and Kia automobiles were being unloaded.
"I hope that we are almost at the finish line of passing this agreement through US Congress," Han said.
President Obama plans to send the tariff-lowering agreement to Congress in the coming weeks. Chamber of Commerce VP Tami Overby said the agreement would create American jobs.
"The American market is already open; companies have access to the US market," she said. "What this agreement does is lowers tariffs and removes barriers on the other side."
Rachel Carson (partially hidden in photo), whose King of Prussia firm, Helicopter Tech, makes aviation parts, believes her business would be hurt if the deal isn't passed.
"I think it would strengthen our business further and allow us to secure more work and, in effect, create jobs at my facility and then also the machine shops that are doing our work for us," she told KYW Newsradio.
But some unions have opposed the deal, concerned about jobs being relocated overseas.
Reported by Mike DeNardo, KYW Newsradio 1060.
