By Kim Yon-se
Staff Reporter

President Lee Myung-bak is not giving an answer as to whether or not he is willing to eat ``imported'' U.S. beef on TV ― as tens of thousands of citizens proposed amid anxiety over mad cow disease.

Whether or not presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan, Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon, and Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Wendy Cutler will take part in ``test eating'' of the American meat in front of Korean consumers is also yet to be decided.

Critics said the possibility of the testing is low, pointing out that their promises are ``insincere.''

When the free trade agreement (FTA) talks between South Korea and the U.S. were under way in January 2007, Trade Minister Kim ― who was the chief negotiator ― said he was willing to eat imported U.S. beef ``as a citizen.'' But he declined to reply whether he would eat the beef on TV. Later, Kim expressed uneasiness about journalists' questions on food safety and test eating.

Wendy Cutler, who was the chief negotiator for the U.S., was also noncommittal on the eating of beef here.

When Korean netizens' demanded for her to eat the ``bone-containing'' U.S. beef at a warehouse of Incheon International Airport during her stay in Korea in March 2007, she just said, ``I'll consider it.''

Presidential spokesman Lee hinted that President Lee is not considering test eating of imported meat ``in Seoul.''

He just stressed that the President has already eaten beef produced in Montana with George W. Bush during his visit to the U.S., saying that both the U.S. beef consumed in North America and products exported to Korea are of the ``same'' quality.

"Let's eat (U.S. beef) together. I'll also eat it,'' the spokesman suggested to journalists on April 29. But he ruled out the possibility of his test eating on TV.

More and more angry Koreans, who were frustrated by Lee's decision to fully open the beef market to American products, are also calling for all of the U.S. beef shipments to be sampled by Cheong Wa Dae secretaries and beef negotiators including Assistant Agriculture Minister Min Dong-seok, who was a chief negotiator on American beef imports.

The main opposition ― United Democratic Party (UDP) said it is moving to propose a motion to dismiss Chung Woon-chun, the minister of food, agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

The bill proposal requires the support of one-third of the 299-seat National Assembly and can be passed with a simple majority of ``yes'' votes.

A Washington-based NGO ― Public Citizen ― has found, via requests to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), that at least 131 slaughterhouses in 34 U.S. states had violated the rules on the removal of specified risk material (SRM) between 2004 and 2005.

The civic group said, ``A common situation described in these noncompliance records is when over and under 30 month aged cattle are processed simultaneously, without adequate rinsing or sanitation of equipment.''

Despite the nation's import ban, implemented Dec. 24, 2003 due to a bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) scare, about 29,000 tons of U.S. beef, including ribs, were distributed on the Korean market in 2004 and 2005, according to the Korea Customs Service (KCS).

The Roh Moo-hyun administration lifted the ban in 2006, deciding to import boneless beef from cattle younger than 30 months.

Last month, the Lee administration opened the domestic beef market to U.S. products to import the American meat irrespective of bone-containing and cattle age.

kys@koreatimes.co.kr