WATCH ABOVE: Global News reporter Vassy Kapelos in Seoul’s Myeong-Dong Market, on how Prime Minister Stephen Harper will spend his 24 hours in South Korea.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has arrived in Seoul, where he’s set to announce a free-trade deal with South Korea around 2 p.m. local time.
Global News reporter Vassy Kapelos is on the ground in South Korea, where Harper, business leaders and some MPs will stay for only 24 hours.
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It’s unknown whether Harper plans to announce an agreement-in-principle or sign the final text of a deal he’s calling a gateway to deals with other Asian countries, but it will be a joint statement with President Park Geun-hye.
Harper will also participate in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Seoul National Cemetery, and attend an “official dinner” with Geun-hye.
Similar trade talks stalled in 2008 when the country banned beef imports following the mad cow disease scare.
Critics say if the agreement removes a 6.1 per cent tariff on car imports, the Canadian market would be flooded with Korean-made brands such as Hyundai and Kia. However, the agriculture sector stands to benefit.
WATCH: Vassy Kapelos on why Harper’s critics are denouncing the pending South Korean free-trade pact and the impact on Canadian auto workers. (March 9)
With a file from The Canadian Press
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