The agreement could be ratified by Congress as early as this summer, but only if South Korea lifts restrictions on imports of U.S. beef, according to lawmakers.

"The political reality in Congress is that no matter the benefits, this agreement is dead on arrival until the beef issues get resolved," said Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, which handles trade legislation.

The deal, recently reached in Seoul, requires approval by lawmakers in both countries. It is the United States' biggest trade agreement since the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993 and is expected to lead to more than 90% of U.S. exports to South Korea being duty-free within three years.

The Bush administration intends to submit the legislation to Congress for approval under its fast-track authority, which imposes timelines on Congress to vote and requires up-or-down votes without amendment.

South Korea is an important market for Wisconsin agricultural products, with more than $43 million in exports in 2006 - up 19% over 2005, according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.

Dairy products, vegetables, prepared foods and animal feed are some of the state's exports to South Korea. It's a sophisticated, developing market, said Lora Klenke, director of the state's agriculture market development bureau.

"But tariffs have been one of the stumbling blocks in getting into South Korea," she added.

The agreement would offer immediate duty-free access to U.S. soybeans, which have faced tariffs as high as 487%. For the first time, U.S. soybean farmers would have access to Korean markets outside the import monopoly created by the Korean State Trading Enterprise.

Source: JS Online