
CHAN: A sledgehammer battle took place at the South Korean Parliament today, literally. Parliament members opposing aa closed door meeting broke into a conference with sledgehammers and crowbars. One person suffered a head injury while others scuffled. Doors were knocked off their hinges while a desk used as a barricade was reduced to splinters. STORY: Members of South Korea's Grand National Party had barricaded themselves in the foreign affairs committee office, propping furniture against the door to keep Democratic Party members out. They wanted to finally approve legislation to a free trade deal with the United States. But Democratic Party members opposing the deal broke their way in. South Korea and the United States reached the free trade deal last year. The agreement, which is expected to add about $20 billion to annual two-way trade of $78 billion, has not been approved by legislatures in either country. The conservative Grand National Party, which holds a majority in South Korea's 299-seat National Assembly, said it wants to approve the deal by the end of this year. Surveys show a majority of South Korean support the deal. Protesters outside the parliament building say are it is a way to overcome the South Korean economy crisis. [Park Chan-sung, Conservative Party Protester]: "The left wingers, anti-American and pro-North Korean, are against the US and South Korea's FTA (Free Trade Agreement). That is why we are here to stop them. The US-South Korea FTA should be <b>...</b>
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