The chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee has called for a renegotiation of the South Korea-U.S. free trade accord.

Charles Rangel made the call on Wednesday during a meeting which outlined the panel's priorities for the year. His remarks come a day after Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton proposed a renegotiation of the trade deal, citing an alleged imbalance in auto trade.

Rangel said that although President-elect Barack Obama supports the idea of a trade accord with South Korea, changes must be made before ratification should be considered.

Rangel said the main roadblock to ratifying the agreement was the Bush administration's unwillingness to change auto provisions that many Democrats believe favor South Korean automakers.

He added that negotiations wouldn’t be in their current state, had the Bush administration fought as hard for U.S. cars as it did for American beef. Rangel was apparently referring to U.S. pressure on South Korea that led to the resumption of U.S. beef shipments last year after a suspension in 2003 due to a mad cow disease case in the U.S.