By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter

The ongoing protest against American beef may develop into an anti-``Made in the USA'' product campaign.

``Let's boycott U.S.-made products,'' read one posting Friday on a popular Korean Internet portal. ``It's not just the Korean government that's pushing this import deal on Korean consumers. The American government is in on it. Let's boycott U.S. products,'' it continued. Such postings urging a boycott appeared following the government's announcement of the official resumption of beef imports, Thursday.

``Let's begin a campaign to boycott U.S. products. Boycott Hollywood movies! Don't wear Nike! Don't drink Starbucks coffee and stop going to McDonald's, Pizza Hut and KFC,'' read another Internet post.

U.S. companies with a business presence in Korea could suffer losses from the beef controversy if the campaign gains traction.

Choi In-ki, a top policymaker for the main opposition United Democratic Party, said last week during a National Assembly meeting that the U.S. government has nothing to gain if public resentment against its beef exports continues to build. The public backlash could expand to become an anti-U.S. products campaign, Choi told reporters.

Tami Overby, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Korea, said the current backlash is based on inaccurate media reporting, which has misled many Koreans to believe that U.S. beef is not safe. ``America takes food safety very seriously and we eat the same beef we export so I find it puzzling that some people would use this misinformation about a technical food issue to leverage a political agenda into talking about boycotting products from a particular country.''

A number of major shopping centers and supermarket chains are announcing they will not carry American beef for the foreseeable future.

One of the largest supermarket chains in Korea, E-Mart, told The Korea Times that its stores will hold off on offering U.S. beef to consumers.

``We will continue to monitor the situation. We understand that the government has announced the resumption of importing American beef, but our stores won't sell it until we see some level of acceptance from the public. and a safety assurance regarding U.S. beef. This could take years,'' an E-Mart spokesman said. ``We will continue to sell beef from locally raised cattle and from Australia.''

Other major supermarket chains, including Lotte Mart and Home Plus, are also holding off on selling American beef, the E-Mart spokesman observed.

Fast-food restaurant chains, both U.S.-headquartered firms as well as Korean-based companies, are also making an effort to inform customers that they will not use controversial, imported U.S. beef.

Korean branch operations for McDonald's and Burger King have made announcements that their restaurants in Korea only use Australian beef products. ``Rest assured! We only use 100 percent Australian, New Zealand beef. We offer the best quality,'' an announcement on Burger King's Korean branch homepage stated.

The Outback Steakhouse, a U.S.-headquartered restaurant chain, and Lotteria, a Korea-based fast-food chain, have also announced they will not use American beef.

Earlier this month, Michael Hansen, a senior researcher from the U.S.-based Consumers Union, the publisher of ``Consumer Reports,'' told Korean media that the U.S. government is not doing enough to ensure the safety of American beef. He told KBS Radio that his group sees problems in both the U.S. government's inspection procedures as well as unsanitary conditions found in raising cattle in America. He said the Korean government should find effective ways to counter this problem.

Stephen Costello, a U.S.-based analyst and consultant on Korean affairs, is one of the Korea experts who have been monitoring the growing public backlash from abroad.

``President Lee may have been eager to accommodate U.S. interests regarding beef, but so was former President Roh Moo-hyun,'' he said. ``Most experts and government officials in Korea and the US have known for over a year that Korea would have to accommodate U.S. beef under some formula respecting international standards and also Korean food safety concerns.

``There is also some blame on the U.S. side due to our complex and less-than optimum safety structure regarding the U.S. cattle industry,'' Costello said.

``For the U.S., there may be more that beef producers can do to invite Korean media and inspectors in to assure them of safe procedures.

``It is easy to understand that many Koreans could have frustrations and anger over U.S. policies toward the Republic of Korea in recent years, and this seems to be part of the undercurrent surrounding today's debates,'' Costello added.

``But the U.S. now is in a responsible, practical, and problem-solving posture toward Korea. It would be unfortunate if the chance for long-term strategic agreements -- which greatly benefit Koreans as well as Americans -- were lost. There will soon be a new U.S. president, and he or she will make an assessment about how much can be accomplished with our longtime ally in Korea. So I hope we are able to get past the posturing and make some deals that will benefit everyone."

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