Bourbon, Free Trade and South Korea

I found the Lexington Herald-Leader's article on the South Korea free trade debate pretty interesting, especially since the article is from the perspective of the bourbon industry.  The long and short of it is this - There are two philosophies in this debate.  The first (which is the position of the bourbon industry) is that this free-trade agreement will not only boost bourbon sales in South Korea, but will also lead to more jobs.  The second philosophy (held by unions) is that the agreement would send American jobs to South Korea and lead to more money for only for the CEO's.

So, people are lined up along the partisan lines that are always there when free-trade agreements are discussed.  Here are some interesting facts from the article:

- South Korea is the 11th largest spirit market in the world.

- The Distilled Spirits Council spent more than $2.5 million lobbying the U.S. House and Senate, and that's just this year.

- Kentucky produces 95% of the world's bourbon.

- Bourbon exports totaled $192 million in 2010.

- Koreans like Scotch.