Washington, D.C. – Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sander M. Levin (D-MI) and Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) issued the following joint statement on trade negotiations between the U.S. and South Korea:

“Further negotiations will succeed only if South Korea adopts concrete steps to open its market to U.S. exports.

“While there are other unresolved issues, nowhere is this more evident than in the dangerously lopsided trade in automotive vehicles.  In 2009 alone, South Korea exported more than 476,000 autos to the U.S. while fewer than 6,000 U.S. vehicles managed to get through Korean trade barriers. 

“There is a basic principle at stake with a very practical impact on American jobs.  When U.S. industry has the ability to compete, we can succeed. But we must insist on open, reliable access to another country’s market, as our market is open to their goods.  It was essential for our government today to deliver a strong message by insisting on a two-way street for trade with South Korea.”

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