By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
Cheong Wa Dae plans to launch a campaign Monday to encourage people to eat pork in a move to protect pig raisers from falling sales due to fears over the H1N1 influenza A, formerly known as swine flu.
The presidential office has designated May 11-15 as the ``week of pork consumption,'' and will have the meat served at all cafeterias for the presidential staff and visitors, it said in a press release.
Ministries and state-run firms will also join the campaign to ease public anxiety over the disease, a presidential spokesman said.
The Office of Presidential Chief of Staff and the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, or NongHyup, held a joint event at Cheong Wa Dae Friday to encourage consumption of domestic pork.
Chief of Staff Chung Chung-kil, NongHyup Chairman Choi Won-byung, presidential secretaries and senior government officials ate pork for lunch.
``We organized the event to urge the public to consume pork and share the pain felt by pig farmers,'' the spokesman said. ``Many people now know that pigs are not the cause of influenza A, but are reluctant to eat the meat due to fears. We hope the campaign will be helpful for pig farmers.''
Korea's health authorities recently changed the name of the influenza from swine flu to influenza A on a recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO).
The WHO said the name could mislead the public. If cooked to over 71 degrees Celsius, the meat is safe, according to health officials.
Domestic pork sellers have launched their own campaigns to promote the safety of the meat. The association of pig raisers agreed to cut wholesale pork prices to boost demand and is working with the government to produce advertisements for the mass media on pork safety.