No extra imports of US beef, rice in tariff deal

Members of the Hanwoo Association stage a protest against Korea's imports of U.S. beef from cattle aged 30 months or older in front of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

Korea and the United States have agreed to maintain the status quo on agricultural and livestock trade as the two nations struck a deal Wednesday (local time) to reduce U.S. "reciprocal" tariffs on all Korean exports from 25 percent to 15 percent.

The presidential office and industry ministry said they have protected their “red line” of not importing additional U.S. rice and beef so that farmers here would not lose their market shares due to cheaper imports.

Despite issuing a statement thanking the government for the outcome, farmers expressed concerns that nontariff barriers on U.S. fruits and vegetables could become part of future negotiations. They worry that U.S. products in these categories continue to threaten domestic produce.

Kim Yong-beom, presidential chief of staff for policy, said that under the deal, Korea will not further open its markets for rice, beef and other agricultural products.

“The U.S. strongly demanded that we import more U.S. rice and beef. But considering our food security and farmers who are desperate to keep their market share here, we stood firm and reached this agreement,” Kim said.

Kim said Korea focused its efforts on blocking Washington’s demands to expand exports of American agricultural goods to Seoul.

Washington has pressured Korea to lift its ban on imports of U.S. beef from cattle aged 30 months or older — a restriction that remains in place over public health concerns. The ban dates back to 2003, when a case of mad cow disease was reported in the U.S., prompting the two countries to agree in 2008 to limit U.S. beef exports to Korea to cattle under 30 months of age.

A Korean delegation of ministers and policy directors who negotiated with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington pushed back against the demand by emphasizing that Korea is already among the largest consumers of U.S. beef in the world.

Cows feed at a beef farm in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province, Thursday. Yonhap

“President Lee Jae Myung has emphasized political sensitivity behind our agricultural and livestock products, citing their history and the public’s deep-rooted concerns. That was our main motivation to hold our position hard,” said Kim.

Trump said on Truth Social on Thursday Korea will be “completely open to trade with the U.S. and they will accept American product including … agriculture,” raising questions over the clarity of terms the two countries agreed on. Kim, however, downplayed the post as the president’s unique rhetoric, emphasizing that cabinet members of the two countries did not discuss further U.S. product imports.

“Our agricultural and livestock markets are currently open to imports of 99.7 percent, with only less than 10 items limited from our market. Although the U.S. Trade Representative tried to leverage that 0.3 percent, they also nodded to our vastly open market and import of U.S. beef in the world’s largest volume,” Kim said.

Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo said Korean negotiators had, for some time, shown their U.S. counterparts photos of the massive protests in Seoul in 2008 against imports of U.S. beef from cattle aged over 30 months, in an effort to convey the potential for public unrest if the ban were lifted.

“The U.S. pointed out that the ban is currently enforced only by Korea, Russia and Belarus, while all other countries — including Taiwan, China and Japan — have lifted it, pressuring us to do the same and import more U.S. beef,” Yeo said.

“So we started showing photos of the 1 million candlelight protesters from 2008 to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick. The U.S. government has apparently been monitoring the strong backlash from Korean farmers over the potential increase in U.S. beef imports. They seemed to understand the public sentiment here, and I believe our efforts at persuasion were effective.”

Oranges, apples, peaches and other fruits are on sale at a street market in Seoul, Thursday. / Yonhap

In response to the agreement, the Korean Successor Advanced Farmers Federation (KAFF) praised the government's efforts. Leading up to the deal, local farmers had repeatedly staged protests against the potential import of additional U.S. agricultural products, warning that an influx of cheaper goods could dominate the domestic market and threaten their livelihoods.

However, the group noted that the bilateral agreement excluded fruits and vegetables, adding that further U.S. imports in those categories continue to pose a threat to the domestic market. They cited Korean Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol’s remarks in Washington, where he said that in addition to the tariff deal, the government would continue discussions with the U.S. on nontariff barriers related to those products.

“It appears the bilateral agreement has not fully addressed the concerns of us farmers. The U.S. still seeks the easing of Korea’s sanitary and phytosanitary measures on its agricultural exports, and the Korean government has expressed a willingness to discuss the issue," KAFF said. "This clearly suggests that more U.S. apples and other products will be imported sooner or later. To ensure the sustainability of the country’s 2.2 million farmers and their businesses, the government must prepare more proactive measures."

Yang Kwang-suk, a cattle farmer in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province, and head of KAFF’s North Chungcheong chapter, said that while hanwoo has been excluded from further U.S. import discussions, he remains concerned about the broader agricultural sector, noting that there is still room for changes to the current trade status.

“Despite the positive news regarding hanwoo, or Korean beef, and rice, we still wonder how much each side had to concede to reach the deal. I can’t shake the feeling that there could be a domino effect leading to changes in our agricultural markets that we should be wary of. I plan to keep monitoring the situation closely,” he said.