South Korean Lawmakers Brawl

Nation & World News

Photos of South Korean lawmakers brawling over a free trade agreement with the United States.

The South Korean National Assembly descended into chaos Thursday over a free trade agreement with the United States. Here, opposition Democratic Party members try to enter a committee room as ruling Grand National Party members, not in photo, spray fire extinguishers from the room, to block them.

Opposition parties were incensed by the GNP's move to submit the agreement to a committee on trade, setting in motion the process for the accord to win approval in the legislature. Here, Democratic Party members, right, struggle with security guards and aides from the ruling GNP.

An opposition party member uses a hammer beat down a door leading to a parliamentary committee room.

South Korea and the United States signed the accord that calls for slashing tariffs and other barriers to trade in April last year after 10 months of tough negotiations, though neither side's legislature has yet ratified it.

Proponents in both countries say it would not only expand trade but further cement ties between Washington and Seoul -- key security allies who have cooperated on issues such as North Korea for decades.

Opponents counter that it will cause pain to key sectors in both nations -- agriculture in South Korea and automobiles in the United States.

The opposition attempt failed, and 10 GNP legislators introduced the bill to the committee.

Clashes between lawmakers are not unusual in the National Assembly. Such violence has long been cited as one of the worst ills of South Korean politics.

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The South Korean National Assembly descended into chaos Thursday over a free trade agreement with the United States. Here, opposition Democratic Party members try to enter a committee room as ruling Grand National Party members, not in photo, spray fire extinguishers from the room, to block them.

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