President Lee Myung-bak speaks at a dinner hosted by the Korea Society in New York, Tuesday. Lee is to hold summit talks with U.S. President George W. Bush at Camp David, the presidential retreat, on April 18-19. / Yonhap |
By Kim Yon-se
Korea Times Correspondent
NEW YORK ― President Lee Myung-bak is expected to promise a full opening of the domestic beef market to the United States in exchange for U.S. authorization of South Koreans to tour the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
In a keynote speech at the Korea Society's annual dinner in Manhattan, Tuesday, Lee hinted at the possibility that the two leaders will reach a ``deal,'' which would be acceptable to citizens of both countries.
Lee cited the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) and the VWP as two powerful means to reinforce the nations' bilateral alliance.
``If the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on the U.S. visa waiver program for Koreans is signed on the occasion of my visit, exchanges in the human resources field will take place'' he said.
Lee also said the two countries should push for the ratification of the FTA as early as possible.
His remarks suggest that the government is willing to further open the beef market to counter moves in the U.S. Congress to delay FTA ratification unless the market is fully opened ― regardless of cattle age or bones present in beef.
A recent consensus between South Korean Ambassador to the U.S. Lee Tae-sik,and American cattle industry leaders including Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman are increasing the possibility.
Ambassador Lee was quoted by Brownfield, a U.S. agricultural news wire, as saying ``Since this (the beef issue) is standing in the way of getting our FTA approved by the U.S. Congress, we have to resolve it rather quickly.''
Governor Heineman said, ``You may be aware the new President of Korea is going to visit President Bush on April 18 and 19 at Camp David,'' according to the wire.
He said cattle industry leaders hope the Lee-Bush summit will be a positive opportunity.
Some critics raised the possibility that the two presidents will reach a behind-the-scenes deal over the beef issue, deciding not to make public their agreement, to prevent a backlash from Koreans who worry about mad cow disease.
A presidential secretary declined to answer when asked if President Lee would honor the earlier, broken promise by former President Roh Moo-hyun to fully open the domestic market.
Washington is continuously putting pressure on Seoul to import U.S. beef, stressing that the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has categorized American meat as safe for consumption.
Some experts say that it is ``unnecessary'' for Korea to follow OIE guidelines.
Song Ki-ho, a lawyer, cited the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Law on beef trading set by the World Trade Organization (WTO), which stipulates, ``The OIE guidelines … without requiring OECD members to change their appropriate level of protection for human health.''
Some allege the Paris-based OIE is apparently controlled by the U.S., which holds the dominant vote for decision-making.
In 2006, Korea lifted a ban ― which was issued due to concerns of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, in December 2003 ― on ``boneless'' U.S. meat from cattle less than 30 months old.
But repeated discoveries of bone fragments and ribs have triggered a backlash from Korean consumers and civic groups.
In Seoul, quarantine experts from Korea and the U.S. held last-ditch talks in a bid to reach an agreement before the summit at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland.
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