By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter

Korean-Americans have expressed concern over the disputes and rumors spreading in Korea about the safety of American beef, claiming U.S. beef products are safe.

Their opinions come amid worries that the growing public protests here against the imports may damage business ties between the two countries, as the beef issue was considered a key precursor to the passage of the free trade agreement (FTA), which is expected to benefit Korean-Americans.

The Korean-American Association of Greater New York said in its statement Sunday that the beef which Korean residents in the United States consume is the same as that to be exported to Korea.

``If American beef were unsafe, some Korean-Americans should have already been struck down with human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) which is thought to be transmitted from eating meat from cows suffering from bovine spongiform encephalitis (BSE, commonly called mad cow disease). We, Korean-Americans, are living proof of the safety of American beef,'' the association said.

They added that Korean-Americans are suffering damage not because they eat U.S. beef but because Americans were developing a bad image about them and Korea due to some Koreans opposing beef imports. ``We hope our brothers and sisters in Korea will recognize a possible backlash from American consumers against Korean products,'' the statement said.

The association claimed the dispute would influence the U.S. Congress in ratifying the Korea-U.S. FTA. ``The FTA will not only boost bilateral business but also strengthen friendship and cooperation. The disputes about beef will put a damper on such efforts,'' it said.

The group denounced some Korean media, which it claimed raised questions about American beef without proper evidence. ``The Korean government should give its people the correct information about U.S. beef as false information has been spread in Korea.''

Other Korean-American groups in California will express their opinion soon.

``The same beef we eat here will be exported. We have eaten almost all kinds of foods using beef, such as seolleongtang (soup made from cow bones), but there have been no signs of danger. The concerns about American beef have been exaggerated to some extent,'' Lee Chang-yup, head of the Korean American Chamber of Commerce in Los Angeles, was quoted as saying by Yonhap.

He said the U.S. government has conducted and will conduct thorough inspection of beef products, adding Koreans do not need to worry.

However, some Internet users including Korean-Americans questioned the statement. A Korean-American living in Wisconsin said on a portal site, ``Beef products from cows aged over 20 months are not sold here. Is it logical that American beef is safe only because no Korean-American has had mad cow disease? Will the association head say it is not safe when a Korean-American dies from the disease?''

rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr