Más arroz importado para Corea

Trabajadores agrícolas cosechando arroz.

The South Korean National Assembly has voted to allow more foreign rice into the country and have 10 years before an unlimited amount will go onto its market. Farmers say they will take their protest to the World Trade Organisation's next meeting if Parliament follows through on this global trade deal.

This report from Charles Scanlon:

Some opposition law makers made a last-ditch effort to block the vote but they were dragged from the speaker's podium by members of the ruling party. The vote then passed by 139 to 61, doubling the amount of rice South Korea will import over the next decade.

That's still less than 8% of the total market, a concession won after lengthy negotiations with rice exporting countries. But it was still too much for South Korea's hard-pressed rice farmers who say their livelihoods are at stake. They've staged violent demonstrations in recent weeks. Many blame the United States for forcing open Korean markets. They say they're unable to compete with cheap rice from overseas.

The farmers have relied on large government subsidies and a heavily-protected market to stay in business. The foreign minister, Ban Ki-Moon, said the country's image and credibility was at stake. He said failure to approve the pact would have led to a forced opening and the import of much more rice.

South Korea and other Asia-Pacific countries last week identified support for European farmers as the main obstacle to progress at World Trade talks, which are due to resume in Hong Kong next month.

a last-ditch effort
un último intento

dragged
en este caso los legisladores de la oposición fueron 'arrastrados' o fueron 'retirados a la fuerza'

speaker's podium
podio de orador

import
importar o traer de otro país

a concession
acuerdo o concesión

hard-pressed
estar en apuros

their livelihoods are at stake
sus empleos o forma de ganar la vida están en juego

staged violent demonstrations
realizaron manifestaciones violentas

government subsidies
subsidios gubernamentales

to approve the pact
aprobar el pacto o dar el sí a un acuerdo formal - que en este caso sería aumentar la cantidad de arroz que se importa a Corea del Sur

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