The South Korean ambassador to the U.S. says he believes the Obama administration, after concluding its health care reform this fall, will give top priority to having the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement approved before next spring.

Speaking at a luncheon hosted by the Greater Dallas Korean American Chamber of Commerce, Ambassador Han Duck-soo expressed concern that if the FTA is not ratified in the spring, it will likely be put off until after the November 2010 midterm elections in the U.S.

Han said that he will continue to urge the U.S. government to swiftly ratify the trade deal.