US beef imports in South Korea

US beef imports in South Korea have been a contentious issue in South Korea-United States relations as the US government has sought to re-open the market to the product, and the South Korean government has been criticized for allegedly increasing the risk to public health in appeasing the US government. The case sparked the country's largest anti-government protests in 20 years. [ cite news
last= Choe
first= Sang-hun
url= http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/06/11/asia/seoul.php
title= Protests in Seoul more about nationalism than beef
publisher= the International Herald Tribune
date= June 11, 2008 ]

Import ban

The Government of South Korea blocked most imports of US beef in 2003 because of fears over mad cow disease (BSE). [ cite news
url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7353767.stm
title= South Korea relaxes US beef ban
publisher= BBC News
date= 18 April 2008 ] The United States Department of Agriculture had identified two BSE-infected cows, one born in the USA, one from Canada. [ cite news
last= JOHANNS
first= MIKE
url= http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usdahome?contentidonly=true&contentid=2006/01/0022.xml
title= TRANSCRIPT OF REMARKS BY AGRICULTURE SECRETARY MIKE JOHANNS CONCERNING U.S. BEEF EXPORTS
publisher= United States Department of Agriculture
date= January 24, 2006 ] At the time, South Korea had been the third-largest market for US beef exports at an annual value of $815 million. When Lee Myung-bak was inaugurated on 25 February 2008, he stated his willingness to strengthen South Korea-United States relations; he agreed to relax restrictions on beef imports from the US.According to the World Organization for Animal Health, the United States is currently recognized as a BSE-controlled country. [ cite news
last= Hwang
first= Jang-jin
url= http://ace.goghweb.com/51
title= Lee puts public health before beef
publisher= The Korea Herald
date= 08 May 2008 ]

Protests

The relaxation of restrictions on beef imports from the US caused public protests, starting with candlelight vigils of middle and high school students and eventually including calls for President Lee's impeachment. [ cite news
url= http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/05/29/skorea.usbeef/
title= South Korea to resume U.S. beef imports
publisher= CNN
date= May 29, 2008 ] Lee had been elected with the biggest margin of victory in decades, but his approval rating dropped below 20 percent during the protests and his entire cabinet offered their resignations. [ cite news
last= CHOE
first= SANG-HUN
url= http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/10/world/asia/10korea.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
title= S. Korean Cabinet Offers to Quit After Beef Protests
publisher= New York Times
date= June 10, 2008 ] More than 40,000 protesters gathered on Sejong Street in central Seoul on 31 May 2008 and police detained more than 200 after violent clashes. [ cite news
url= http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/06/02/skorea.usbeef/
title= S. Korea delays U.S. beef imports
publisher= CNN
date= June 2, 2008 ] More than 10,000 riot police were used to control the protesters; water cannon was used in some instances. [ cite news
url= http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/06/01/skorea.usbeef/index.html
title= Clashes over U.S. beef in S. Korea
publisher= CNN
date= June 2, 2008 ] In response to the protests, the Lee Myung-bak administration delayed announcing the newer relaxed regulations, [ cite news
url= http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSSEO20019820080602
title= South Korea delays resumption of U.S. beef imports
publisher= Reuters
date= June 2, 2008 ] which would not have discriminated against the import of cattle aged over 30 months. Younger cattle are thought to carry less of a risk of BSE. The protests have resulted in injuries to over 200 people. [ cite news
url= http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20080054939&ch=6/29/2008%204:46:00%20PM
title= Over 200 injured in SKorea beef protests
publisher= NDTV.com
date= June 28, 2008 ] President Lee's popularity fell to below 30 percent. [ cite news
last= Lewis
first= Leo
url= http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3897374.ece
title=South Korean internet geeks trigger panic over US 'tainted beef' imports
publisher=The Times
date=May 9, 2008 ]

Causes

Some protesters see the beef import deal as a humiliating concession to the US government. The initial agreement to allow imports came just before President Lee's first trip to Washington. Some protesters, in spite of no evidence of beef originating in the US causing vCJD, believe that Lee compromised South Korea's public health standards in order to better South Korea-United States relations. The US has been Korea's superpower backer since the Korean War. [ cite news
url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7457087.stm
title= Q&A: S Korea beef protests
publisher= BBC News
date= 25 June 2008 ] However, tensions over U.S.-South Korean trade relations are part of a history of disputes and grievances relating to Anti-American sentiment in South Korea. The protests are not just about the BSE risk of American beef, but are a prolongation of the ideological battle between Korean conservatives and progressives. [ cite news
url= http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2008/07/202_26707.html
title= Violence Can Bring Nothing but More Violence
publisher= The Korea Times
date= 06-29-2008 ] Some media coverage of BSE has contained factual inaccuracies; MBC formally apologized for airing incorrect information in its 'PD Notebook' program. [ cite news
last= Park
first= Si-soo
url= http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/06/117_26501.html
title= MBC 'PD Notebook' Regrets Incorrect Report on US Beef
publisher= The Korea Times
date= 06-25-2008 ] Prosecutors are now investigating whether the MBC program 'PD Notebook' intentionally produced misleading or exaggerated information regarding BSE. [ cite news
last= Kang
first= Hyun-kyung
url=http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/07/116_26832.html
title= Lee Hit for Naming Cronies in Key Media Posts
publisher= The Korea Times
date= 07-01-2008 ]

Credibility of newspapers Chosun, JoongAng, and Donga

The self contradicting reporting on the US beef import issues from conservative newspapers Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo, Dong-a Ilbo, provoked even greater anger and distrust among protesters. Before Lee Myung-bak was elected to president, these newspapers were in the forefront of reporting the dangers of US beef and using it to criticize the policies of the liberal Roh Moo-hyun government. [cite news
last= Lee
first= Kyung-Tae
url=http://www.ohmynews.com/nws_web/view/at_pg.aspx?CNTN_CD=A0000891815
title= Cho-Joong-Dong Flips View with New Government
publisher= OhMyNews.com
date=2008-05-02 ] Protesters have compiled lists of articles such as that contain links to more than previous 20 articles published by these newspapers that show how these newspapers flipped their views with the new government. This is only the latest of the controversies surrounding the distorted reporting from these newspapers going beyond conservative views. The newspaper are often quoted in foreign media, causing great misinformation out side of Korea.Fact|date=July 2008

MBC “PD Notebook” Controversy

There has been extensive media reporting about both BSE and American beef imports to South Korea. On April 29th, and May 13th, 2008 the Korean channel MBC ran a news program called “PD Notebook” which focused on BSE in the United States. Aretha Vinson, a deceased Virginian woman, was described as having died from vCJD, although neither the speaker being interviewed, nor the CDC supported that claim. [ cite news
last=
first=
url=http://www.wavy.com/Global/story.asp?S=8281160&nav=23ii
title=Portsmouth woman did not die from rare brain disease, USDA says
publisher=World Now
date=05/08/2008 ] [ cite news
last=Raymond
first=Richard
url=http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Raymond_Statement_050408.pdf
title=Regarding the Safety of the U.S. Food Supply
publisher=USDA
date=05/04/2008 ] Furthermore, the program claimed that BSE was the cause of “downer” cattle, and that Koreans are more susceptible to BSE than other ethnic groups. [ Park, Si-soo: “MBC ‘PD Notebook' Regrets Incorrect Report on US Beef".” The Korea Times, 06-25-2008.] Paranoia surrounding infected U.S. beef increased in the face of such claims, with many parents placing banners outside their apartments declaring their home “beef free.” The Chosun Ilbo, among others, noted that this paranoia may have contributed to increasingly violent protests against U.S. beef. [ cite news
last=
first=
url=http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200805/200805210025.html
title=MBC Needs to Acknowledge Its Mistakes
publisher=Chosun Ilbo
date=05/21/2008 ]

Controversy erupted when the Korea Times, Korea Herald and several other newspapers questioned the subtitles’ translation, as well as the alarmist tone of the segment. Some writers, civic groups and even GNP legislators felt that the news piece greatly exaggerated or even falsified information on the “PD Notebook” program. [ Park, Si-soo: “MBC ‘PD Notebook' Regrets Incorrect Report on US Beef".” The Korea Times, 06-25-2008.]

Initially, MBC made statements rebutting the claims of exaggeration, saying that a mistranslation had not taken place, and neither retracted nor formally apologized for the mistakes. However, on June 25th , pressure from politicians and other journalists caused MBC to issue a formal apology, admitting that mistranslation had occurred and naming that as the root cause of any misinformation. [ Park, Si-soo: “MBC ‘PD Notebook' Regrets Incorrect Report on US Beef".” The Korea Times, 06-25-2008.] However, politicians like Yim Tae-hee, the chief GNP policymaker, complained that the qualified apology was not enough: “ [PD Notebook] was a fatal mistake of MBC as a public TV broadcaster. MBC must…make an unconditional apology.” [Jin, Dae-woong: “Opposition Furious”, page 10. The Korea Herald, 06/27/2008. ] Skepticism of the programs claims persisted, especially in light of complaints from MBC staff who worked on the program. Jeong Ji-min, a translator for the MBC show said there has been no such mistranslation, and that the producers deliberately inflated the dangers of BSE: “ [MBC] has to admit that it was their biased editing that led to an exaggerated report.” [“MBC taking heat for misleading beef report”, page 3. The Korea Herald, 06/27/2008. ]

Eventually, the Korean Communications Commission launched an investigation and KCC prosecutors found MBC to have deliberately distorted facts or, in some cases, create misinformation or mistranslations in order to inflate the threat of vCJD to Koreans. On August 12th, MBC therefore apologized on air as it was court-ordered to do. [ cite news
last=
first=
url=http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/08/113_29254.html
title=MBC Offers Apology Over US Beef Report
publisher=Korea Times
date=08/13/2008 ] [ cite news
last=
first=
url=http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200808/200808130024.html
title=MBC Apologizes for US Beef Programs
publisher=Digital Chosun Ilbo
date=08/13/2008 ]

Myungbaksanseong

After 10 June 2008, a new neologism named "Myungbaksanseong" (명박산성, hanja:明博山城) appeared to refer to two-story barricades made with cargo containers to block protesters who gathered in the Gwanghwamun area of Seoul. It literally means "Lee Myung-bak's fortress". The protesters had planned to march to Cheong Wa Dae, the official residence of the South Korean head of state. The barricades were set up on 10 June 2008 and removed the next day by South Korean police under the orders of the Korean Secretary of Defense. [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/southkorea/2110578/South-Korea's-president-fights-for-political-life.html South Korea's president fights for political life ] ] [ [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-06/10/content_8342297.htm S Korean gov't place containers to fend off protesters] ] [cite news |title= "철거되는 명박산성" (Demolition of Myungbaksanseong")|url=http://news.naver.com/main/hotissue/read.nhn?mid=hot&sid1=102&sid2=257&gid=117799&cid=102002&iid=38902&oid=001&aid=0002123218|publisher= [http://www.naver.com/ www.naver.com] |date=2008-06-11|accessdate=2008-06-26|language=Korean]

The term first appeared in several Internet forums to criticize South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak's countermeasure against the citizens who participated in a series of candlelight protests against US beef imports.cite news |last=Jang|first=Mi-hyeon|title= "이것은 국보O호로 지정된 명박산성입니다: 누리꾼들, '광화문 컨테이너'에 격분·조롱" ("This is a National Treasure: Comment on Myungbaksanseong: Outraged Netizens Taunt the 'Gwanghwamun Containers'")"|url=http://www.pressian.com/scripts/section/article.asp?article_num=60080610152129|publisher= [http://www.pressian.com/ www.pressian.com] |date=2008-06-10|accessdate=2008-06-26|language=Korean] Lee's unilateral policy on the issue caused concern over vCJD (a variant of CJD, or mad cow disease). The structure led to even more people participating in the protests and jokes such as:

* This is made to alter Namdaemun which was burnt down.
* This is a new national landmark of Korea.
* Container Government

At first, this word was a sarcastic term created by a netizen, but it became popularized through use in newspapers. Some Koreans criticized the work by saying "This is how Lee Myung-bak communicates with the public."

The structure was located in Gwanghwamun junction, blocking most roads to Cheong Wa Dae. It was made of two-storied containers which were full of sand, attached each other. To prevent removal by protestors, they were attached to the ground by steel beams.

Reaction to protests

Kim Dae-joong, a Korean conservative columnist, (not to be confused with former Korean President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Kim Dae-jung) wrote, "it amounts to double-crossing to be really fond of America in all substantive matters, while bad-mouthing America in public protests" in an op-ed piece. [ cite news
last=Huer
first= John
url= http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/include/print.asp?newsIdx=24696
title= Beef and Anti-Americanism
publisher= The Korea Times
date= 05-25-2008 ]

The then-U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns said, "In beef trade issues, we base our decisions upon science." The comment was considered very inflammatory by Koreans and stoked Anti-American sentiment in Korea‎.Fact|date=July 2008

"We have a longstanding history of military and security cooperation," Yonhap News quoted Tom Casey, deputy spokesman at the U.S. State Department, as saying. "I don't think this or any other individual issues are going to change the fundamental relations (between the two countries)." [ cite news
url=http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/07/116_26799.html
title=US Reconfirms Strong Alliance with S. Korea Despite Beef Crisis
publisher= The Korea Times
date= 07-01-2008 ]

On 2 July 2008, Han Seung-soo, prime minister of South Korea bought 260,000 Korean won worth of US steak to eat with his family at his official residence to alleviate public worries about US beef. The same quantity of Korean beef would have cost approximately 800,000 Korean won. [ cite news
last=Fifield
first= Anna
url= http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4fc507ec-4852-11dd-a851-000077b07658.html
title= Seoul struggles to defuse US beef protests
publisher= Financial Times
date= July 2 2008 ]

Lifting of import ban

Despite the protests, US beef imports resumed on 1 July 2008 and became the second-most popular beef imports by August 2008. During that period, Australian beef accounted for 60% (12,753 tons) of a total 21,184 tons of imported beef, and U.S. beef came second with 20% (4,439 tons). cite news
url= http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200808/200808190017.html
title= U.S. Beef Popular Again
publisher= The Chosun Ilbo
date= 2008-08-19
accessdate= 2008-08-20 ]

ee also

* U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement
* South Korea-United States relations
* Mad cow disease
* Anti-American sentiment in Korea
* Fast Food Nation

References

External links

* [http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/06/south_korean_protests_over_us.html South Korean Protests over U.S. Beef - The Big Picture - Boston.com]
* [http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2008/06/170_25396.html Mad Cow Hysteria] in The Korea Times by Michael Breen (author)
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7457087.stm Q&A: Korea beef protests] BBC News
* [http://qindex.info/Q_incld/drctry.php?id=politician&ctgry=767 Collection of news, photos and videos on the lit candle protest]