Calls are rising within the U.S. for the rapid ratification of the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA).

A USA Today editorial Monday said that the United Auto Workers has decided to support the trade deal, breaking with other labor stalwarts such as the United Steelworkers and the AFL-CIO.

The paper said that when adding the fact that the deal was negotiated by a pro-labor Democratic administration, the just-say-no case often presented by labor unions gets even weaker.

The report cited that the trade pact, which would eliminate about 95 percent of tariffs on industrial and consumer goods within five years, has the usual advantages of promoting job-creating exports.

The paper added that the trade deal would help U.S. industries involved in telecommunications, technology, pharmaceuticals, farming and financial services gain access to an important market.

The editorial said that another argument for the trade deal with South Korea is not economic but geopolitical, adding that a vibrant and prosperous South Korea is a check against the ambitions of the bizarre and belligerent regime in North Korea.