Ambassador Kirk was in Colorado yesterday talking to local business leaders at the World Trade Center of Denver. He hosted a roundtable discussion to talk about President Obama's National Export Initiative and the U.S.-Korea agreement.
The first question that the Ambassador focused on was how the U.S.-Korea agreement would benefit the services sector. The agreement will provide greater market access across virtually all major service sectors, including express delivery services, legal services, research and development, education, health, telecommunications and financial services.
Agriculture was the top issue for many participants, such as the National Farmers Union, National Cattlemen's Beef Association and the U.S. Meat Export Federation. Ambassador Kirk explained that the U.S.-Korea agreement will provide immediate duty-free treatment for almost two-thirds of current U.S. agricultural exports. All were interested in the opportunities that U.S.-Korea agreement will bring to their industry.
In addition to speaking of the potential benefits of the agreement, Ambassador Kirk also provided an update on the status, and stated that USTR was working to resolve outstanding issues – especially related to autos and beef – to ensure that the agreement levels the playing field in Korea for American workers and producers and reflects American values.
