By Ryu Jin
Staff Reporter
Distribution of imported living modified organisms (LMOs) is likely to start next year, as the government has recently completed all procedures for the ratification of an international agreement on biosafety.
The ratification is expected to trigger protest from various fields though the government says that it would conduct prior verification strictly ahead of any imports of LMOs.
According to the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy on Wednesday, the government plans to report the country’s ratification of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Montreal-based bureau of Biosafety Protocol (BSP) on Oct. 2.
``We’ve already obtained presidential approval in a Cabinet meeting on Sept. 11,’’ said a ministry official, who declined to be named. ``Relevant laws are expected to come into effect from Jan. 1, 2008.’’
Broadly equivalent to GMOs, LMOs result from ``modern biotechnology,’’ which is defined in the Protocol to mean the application of in vitro nucleic acid techniques, or fusion of cells beyond the taxonomic family.
Adopted in January 2000 as a supplement to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety is an international pact on biosafety. South Korea signed the pact in September 2000 and completed legislation for its implementation.
But the protocol has waited for the ratification for the past seven years even after the National Assembly endorsed relevant laws. It came under the spotlight once again after the country concluded a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States.
Once the protocol is ratified, the government will set up an inter-ministerial body to evaluate the safety of foreign-raised LMOs, including agricultural products, fish and other articles of food, and decide whether or not to approve their import.
Largely, the Biosafety Protocol seeks to protect biological diversity from the potential risks posed by LMOs. But some critics describe it as a ``double-faced’’ pact, as it could prevent a country from banning local distribution of LMOs, whose safety was verified.
Genetically modified corn, bean and cottonseed which could be used as feed for livestock such as cattle and pig will likely be imported first. It will take some time for LMOs to be considered for the dining table, ministry officials said.