The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Hybe's new boy group Boynextdoor aims to be 'one and only' presence in K-pop

  • 3

    Seoul city erroneously sends emergency alert after NK launch

  • 5

    ENHYPEN reaches new career high with latest album 'Dark Blood'

  • 7

    NK's attempt to launch 1st spy satellite fails after 'abnormal' flight: S. Korean military

  • 9

    Memorial Day 2023

  • 11

    Vietnam emerges as major market for Korean chipmakers

  • 13

    Rapper Mino attends sister's wedding in U.S. amid military service

  • 15

    ANALYSISChina's ban on Micron tests Washington-Seoul alliance

  • 17

    Korea's diplomacy put to test amid signs of thaw in US-China relations

  • 19

    Big businesses face growing union pressure to extend retirement age

  • 2

    SHINee celebrates 15th anniversary of debut: 'It feels surreal'

  • 4

    Seoul on alert over Pyongyang's imminent spy satellite launch

  • 6

    Brave Girls to restart activities under new name

  • 8

    Korea's household debt-to-GDP ratio highest among 34 major economies

  • 10

    Korea eyes launch of 4th Nuri space rocket in 2025

  • 12

    Japanese destroyer flies controversial flag as it arrives in Korea for joint drill

  • 14

    Korea to ease immigration rules to attract more medical tourists

  • 16

    Top 20% of income earners fuel increase in Q1 consumption as pandemic ends

  • 18

    Local governments appeal to young generations through YouTube

  • 20

    Running convenience stores becomes popular among people in 20s, 30s

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
Wed, May 31, 2023 | 19:08
Editorial
Beefing About Beef
Posted : 2008-04-14 18:13
Updated : 2008-04-14 18:13
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
One-Sided Concession Ignores Public Health

Korea's resumption of U.S. beef imports, a pending economic issue of mounting concern, will likely be settled by this weekend.

Or the conclusion has already been reached and negotiators from the two governments might just be discussing how to make the tough deal more digestible for the Korean public. At least this is the impression one gets from the comments of many officials and media outlets here, who say in union that the beef import issue should not pose a ``stumbling block'' for the ratification of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement or the Lee-Bush summit that will discuss the matter.

The U.S. officials are reportedly pressing hard on their Korean counterparts to tear down almost all barriers to beef imports. Their biggest weapon is a recommendation of the World Organization for Animal Health, or OIE in its Spanish acronym, which allows in principle beef exports without restrictions by the cattle's age and parts for countries that control the risks of mad cow disease. The United States won the so-called risk-controlled status last May.

Moreover, the OIE ruling exempted exporters from the obligation to remove such special risk materials as brains and backbones as long as they come from cattle younger than 30 months.

What makes the OIE's ``recommendation'' written as just ``in principle'' all the more scary is Koreans' unusual vulnerability to this brain-wasting disease because of their genetic weakness and dietary pattern. This might matter little for the U.S. officials as just the special circumstances of an importer, but it should be an issue of very grave concern for their Korean counterparts.

As we have often stressed, at stake is not the international agency's clean bill of health but the loose U.S. food safety systems, including meat inspections, which was demonstrated by the frequent inclusion of bone parts in their Korea-bound shipments.

It was less than two months ago that Westland/Hallmark Meat Company made the largest recall of meat in American history, following the release of a pitiful video footage of sick cows being abused on their way to a slaughter house.

A recent survey has found up to 87 percent of Korean housewives living in metropolises think that U.S. beef is ``unsafe." The deep distrust is only too natural, as the U.S. exporters have repeatedly failed to rectify their mistakes. Recently, Washington even reportedly called for Seoul to stop taking issue with its inspection problems.

In short, the U.S. officials opted to beef up pressure instead of trying to amend their problems and earn the trust of Korean consumers. Seoul's anxiety to put the bilateral FTA into effect and ensure the success of the new President's first summit must have been too palpable to the U.S. eyes or anyone else's for that matter.

Washington is urged to come up with more thorough systems on banning animal feeds, tracing the cattle's place of origin and perfecting inspection systems, as it should have done on locally-produced meat, before prying wider open the market in Korea, the third largest importer.

One more word on the FTA: While the U.S. government and lawmakers have scrutinized it and applied pressure to rewrite the beef and auto industry segments, their Korean counterparts have been mired in two election battles and other political dogfighting.
 
wooribank
Top 10 Stories
1Korea to ease immigration rules to attract more medical tourists Korea to ease immigration rules to attract more medical tourists
2Big businesses face growing union pressure to extend retirement age Big businesses face growing union pressure to extend retirement age
3Running convenience stores becomes popular among people in 20s, 30s Running convenience stores becomes popular among people in 20s, 30s
4Anti-corruption watchdog set to investigate crypto assets of lawmakers Anti-corruption watchdog set to investigate crypto assets of lawmakers
5Sluggish exports behind weak Korean won Sluggish exports behind weak Korean won
6Naver suffers shrinking online search market share Naver suffers shrinking online search market share
7Seoul resident clashes with authorities for raising dogs to nab 'North Korean spies' Seoul resident clashes with authorities for raising dogs to nab 'North Korean spies'
8Pyongyang may have delayed spy satellite launch due to technical issues Pyongyang may have delayed spy satellite launch due to technical issues
9Doctors, pharmacists to receive 30% bonus for offering telemedicine service Doctors, pharmacists to receive 30% bonus for offering telemedicine service
10Yoon resumes public outreach upon rising approval rating Yoon resumes public outreach upon rising approval rating
Top 5 Entertainment News
1'Elemental' director on bringing his personal story of immigration to cinema 'Elemental' director on bringing his personal story of immigration to cinema
2[INTERVIEW] Lee Jun-hyuk unrecognizable in 'The Roundup: No Way Out' INTERVIEWLee Jun-hyuk unrecognizable in 'The Roundup: No Way Out'
3SHINee celebrates 15th anniversary of debut: 'It feels surreal' SHINee celebrates 15th anniversary of debut: 'It feels surreal'
4ENHYPEN reaches new career high with latest album 'Dark Blood' ENHYPEN reaches new career high with latest album 'Dark Blood'
5'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' raises bar with epic battle scenes 'Transformers: Rise of the Beasts' raises bar with epic battle scenes
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group