South Korea's parliament has ratified a free trade agreement with the United States, in a contentious vote that erupted in violence in the parliament chamber.The bill passed on a vote of 151 to seven during a special parliamentary session Tuesday. Outnumbered opposition lawmakers reacted angrily to the move to force a vote, shouting protests and setting off a teargas cannister in the chamber.
The vote comes one month after the U.S. Congress approved the deal and President Barack Obama signed it into law.The pact, known as the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, was signed nearly four-and-a-half years ago. It is the most significant trade pact for the United States since the 1994 North America Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico.