Seoul, Oct. 9 (Jiji Press)–South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has instructed his administration staff not to file for the country’s membership of a Japan-led free trade pact for the Asia-Pacific region this year, according to a spokesperson at the presidential office. The president made the instructions at a cabinet meeting Tuesday, the spokesperson said Thursday. Lee also urged his staff to fully listen to agricultural and fisheries industry people about the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or CPTPP, without setting a time limit. His cautious stance over South Korea’s participation in the CPTPP reflects opposition from the industries. It had already been announced that the president on Tuesday called for discussions to be held from scratch without jumping to a conclusion. At the cabinet meeting, a participant said that for discussions on South Korea’s possible membership to be held at a CPTPP ministerial meeting slated for November, plans for related hearings would need to be publicly announced by mid-October. Lee sounded cautious about the view, according to informed sources. The presidential spokesperson said that CPTPP membership is an important option that South Korea, which aims to become a major global trading nation, should consider, but added that this must be pursued based on trust and sympathy from agricultural and fisheries operators. The government will consider the CPTPP membership issue under the principle that no one in the country should be left behind, the spokesperson said. The Lee administration had actively considered joining the CPTPP since its inauguration in June last year, on the back of high public support ratings for him and the country’s good relations with Japan. At a meeting in January this year, Lee told Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi that South Korea would aim to become a CPTPP member. As public support for his administration tumbled later and opposition to CPTPP membership increased, however, the president apparently came to think that it is difficult to aggressively push ahead with the plan. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
