The U.S. Congress has urged the Bush administration to delete a clause on the inter-Korean Gaesong Industrial Complex that appears in the recently concluded South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement.

Michigan lawmaker Sandy Levin, who chairs a trade subcommittee in the U.S. House, is among those leading the call.

Levin said the clause is not in line with labor standards advocated under new U.S. trade policies, since it calls for the formation of a committee to decide on whether to recognize products manufactured in Gaesong as South Korean-made.

The congressman added that the clause might allow Gaesong products disguised as South Korean merchandise to flood the American market

The U.S. Trade Representative dismissed the charge, saying there is nothing wrong with the clause since the recognition of Gaesong products as South Korean requires parliamentary approval by both Korea and the United States.