Beef Impasse Complicates Korea-US Alliance
Protest Shifting to Anti-US and Anti-President Sentiments
By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
The public backlash against U.S. beef import is showing little sign of letting up and may complicate President Lee Myung-bak's diplomatic strategy to foster a closer alliance with America.
The protest is shifting from an initial focus on public health to broader anti-U.S. and anti-Lee Myung-bak sentiments, according to Bruce Klingner, a Korean specialist at the Heritage Foundation in Washington.
One of the criticisms leveled at President Lee is that his administration did not use more research and public hearings before making a unilateral decision to open the Korean market to U.S. beef without conditions.
Critics charge that the beef import deal was a hastily arranged ``gift'' from President Lee to U.S. President George W. Bush in an effort to advance his strategy to develop closer ties with Washington.
Former President Kim Dae-jung said that it's in the best interest of the Americans to be more accommodating to the Koreans' demand. ``In the U.S., they say `the customer is king.' In this case, Koreans are the customers and Americans should help address the safety concerns,'' former President Kim said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Sohn Hak-kyu-Alexander Vershvow feud took a new turn this week. Sohn, chairman of the main opposition United Democratic Party, berated the U.S. Ambassador for allegedly making undiplomatic and rude comments following his meeting with Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yu Myung-hwan.
The ongoing spat between Sohn and Vershvow may illustrate the growing uneasiness and rift between the two nations caused by the U.S. beef impasse.
Indeed, one senior official at the Lee administration has said Thursday that ``officials both in South Korea and the United States clearly remember the last time there were massive candlelight vigils in Korea.
``That was in 2002 when two female middle school girls were run over and killed in a rural village by a U.S. military vehicle and the soldiers involved in the incident were acquitted by a U.S. military court."
The official said his government has asked American diplomats and U.S. government officials to be especially discreet in their comments lest they stoke anti-American sentiments.
Following a meeting with Minister Yu Tuesday, Ambassador Vershbow said, ``We hope that Koreans will begin to learn more about the science and about the facts of American beef and that this issue can be addressed constructively.'' He said: ``Clearly there is a lot of work ahead in getting people to pay more attention to the science and to the facts of the matter.''
UDP Chairman Sohn called Vershbow's comment ``impolite and arrogant.'' Seoul officials are worried that if the public backlash doesn't subside soon, it will mar President Bush's scheduled visit to Seoul next month.
Klingner told The Korea Times that the anti-U.S. beef sentiment may be taking on new dimensions.
``The Lee administration was caught unaware by the vehemence and duration of the anti-beef protests," he said. ``The protests shifted from an initial focus on public health brought on by worries over potential BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy or mad cow disease) in U.S. beef to broader anti-U.S. and anti-Lee sentiments. At issue is Lee's forceful, unilateral governing style.''
Klingner added, ``Applauded during the campaign as a `CEO-style' president, Lee is now criticized for being autocratic and treating the citizens as corporate employees. Lee will have to alter public perceptions of him by appearing more open and transparent as well as fulfilling economic campaign pledges.''
Another Korea specialist in Washington, Stephen Costello, said political leaders in Korea ``did not use smart public diplomacy to inform and address public concerns at a time when it would have been more comfortable and logical for them to do so, such as last year, or during the first six weeks of the Lee administration.''
``In hindsight, by linking the beef decision so closely to the U.S.-Korea Summit, President Lee loaded the decision up with a host of deeply-held worries and frustrations among Koreans about the U.S.-Korea alliance and President Lee's new approach to it.''
Some foreign nationals living in Korea have also been making comments on this issue, ranging from constructive and thoughtful observations to unfounded criticism.
One Internet posting said: ``My personal opinion on the matter is firmly in the camp that the standard Korean viewpoint is irrational at best, and economically damaging at worse.''