WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Saturday praised a newly sealed trade deal with South Korea as a landmark agreement that promises to boost the domestic auto industry and support tens of thousands of American jobs.
“This agreement shows the U.S. is willing to lead and compete in the global economy,” he told reporters at the White House, calling it a triumph for American workers in fields from farming to aerospace.
The pact, which requires congressional approval, would be the largest since the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico in 1994. Obama said the South Korean deal would support at least 70,000 American jobs — welcome news with unemployment figures showing nearly stagnant job growth. Obama said that jobs reports showed more needed to be done.
“Essential to that is opening new markets around the world to products that are made in America,” Obama said. “Because we don’t simply want to be an economy that consumes other countries’ goods.”
Exports of U.S. goods to South Korea could soar to $10 billion under the deal, which won rare praise for Obama from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as well as some Republicans.
The pact originally was negotiated under George W. Bush.
