South Korea parliament due to finalise draft US investment bill under trade deal

South Korea parliament due to finalise draft US investment bill under trade deal

SEOUL, March 9 (Reuters) - A South Korean parliamentary committee is expected to finalise the wording of a special ‌bill on Monday, paving the way for a plenary vote ‌this week to enable $350 billion of U.S. investments under a bilateral trade deal ​between the countries.

Reuters

The bill is expected to be put to a full National Assembly vote on March 12, as the U.S. ally responds to pressure from Washington over perceived delays in enacting ‌the deal.

The "Special Act on ⁠Investment in the U.S." will set up an investment vehicle, as well as a risk management committee ⁠to implement last year's agreement for South Korea to invest in sectors such as shipbuilding and chips in return for lower U.S. ​tariffs.

U.S. President ​Donald Trump threatened in January ​to hike tariffs on ‌imports from South Korea, accusing the country's parliament of delays in enacting the trade deal.

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Top South Korean officials have said the U.S.-South Korea trade deal remains valid despite a U.S. Supreme Court decision in February that struck down a large swath of Trump's ‌tariffs.

Officials in Seoul have, however, voiced ​concerns about the impact of U.S. ​investments on an already ​weak won currency and said that projects would ‌be based on consideration of commercial ​feasibility and foreign ​exchange market conditions.

The special committee, which includes lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party and the opposition People Power Party, is ​expected to review ‌the final bill at a subcommittee on Monday and approve ​it at a general meeting in the afternoon.

(Reporting by ​Joyce LeeEditing by Ed Davies)

 

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