Prime Minister Han Duk-soo said on May 22 that the Korean government will not renegotiate the free trade agreement (FTA) with the U.S., even if the U.S. government requests it.

"Renegotiating the FTA (with the U.S.) is against our principles," Han told reporters before attending a cabinet meeting held at the presidential office, Cheong Wa Dae.

"Further FTA talks with the U.S., if any, should be called additional negotiations, rather than renegotiation. Whatever the outcome, it is necessary to fully disclose information to the people."

He then said the full text of the Korea-U.S. FTA deal will likely be disclosed by the end of this week.

Korea and the U.S. reached the landmark free trade agreement last month after 10 months of tough negotiations. The deal, expected to be signed by the end of June, needs to be ratified by Korea's National Assembly and the U.S. Congress.

A possibility of renegotiation was raised after the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush and the Congress agreed last week on new trade policy guidelines, opening a window for the Democrat-controlled Congress to boost labor and environmental rights in free trade deals before it approves them.

The new guidelines will affect pending free trade agreements that the U.S. reached with Peru, Panama, Columbia and Korea.

The new U.S. trade guidelines will apply to provisions dealing with labor, the environment, intellectual property rights, investment and government procurement, according to the U.S. trade office's Web site.

Labor is one of the potential subjects to modify in the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement.

Under the new guidelines, future free trade agreements must abide by basic international labor standards as outlined in a 1998 International Labor Organization declaration.

The Korea-U.S. pact, expected to be signed by the end of June, should be ratified by Korea's National Assembly and the U.S. Congress.

An agreement with Korea is the first commercial partnership for the U.S. in Northeast Asia. South Korea, Asia's third-largest economy, and the U.S. already does $78 billion a year in trade.