South Korea's parliament pass U.S. trade pact despite tear gas

If them Koreans can pass the TPP my guess is our Japanese amigos can also try to get their act together??

I think the Japanese should really get their act together. The Koreans seem to have a lot more common sense.

151-7. That is quite a landslide. Until you realize there are 299 members to the S.K. parliament. I cannot say how many were cheated out of their vote by the Machiavellian maneuver of calling a surprise session, but I can say that 148 lawmakers, nearly half, did not vote.

I am not sure if that is worth setting off a tear-gas canister and being labeled a terrorist. But then, I don't know how big the protests against the agreement were. They were big enough that water cannons were brought out though. I also note the deal has been long blocked. Seems it was strong-armed and weaseled through.

setting off tear gas in the parliament, protesters clashing with police, analogy of the treaty with the Japan annexation, a weird display of "common sense"

Japan benefits too a little bit from S Korea-U.S.A. Free Trade Agreement (FTA)!! For example Toyota's Sienna minivan vehicles assembled and made in U.S.A. can enter S Korean auto market tariff free unlike Toyotas made in Japan which are exported to S Korea with tariffs levied upon it..

But foreign autos despite their superior quality than Korean Hyundais will find Korean auto market hard to penetrate because more than 80~90% of Korea's auto market is Hyundais,Kias and other Korean brands..But I do think foreign auto sales in S Korea will defintely increase in terms of market % share although it will be impossible for foreign cars to dominate S Korean auto market at the expense of local Korean car makers..

@Foxie "The Koreans seem to have a lot more common sense." Are you crazy ? Using tear gas in the parliament session means more common sense ?

Come on Hide! A little bit of tear gas?? Maybe Nagatacho could also use a bit more excitement like our funny amigos over in Seoul South Korea. Heck maybe even Beat Takeshi could learn some funny new tricks for J tv??

Hide, as Elbuda says, they didn't even use arsenic, sarin gas, pepper spray, spray paint etc. - very harmless indeed.