[Editorial] Hasty agreement and heavy concessions

Posted on : 2008-04-21 13:14 KST Modified on : 2008-04-21 13:14 KST

Seoul and Washington came to a hasty agreement on imports of U.S. beef, one day before the summit between President Lee Myung-bak and his U.S. counterpart George Bush, and the domestic beef market is feeling the effects. Immediately after the government announced that it would resume imports of U.S. beef seemingly without limitations, cattle prices dropped significantly. In light of this, it has been said that pork prices will be affected as well. Once imports of U.S. beef resume in May, the fallout is certain to be even more significant. Livestock farmers which have already suffered from feed and oil price hikes will have to worry about their survival.

There is also concern for the public health. Just two months ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture retrieved 60,000 tons of beef from slaughterhouses in Southern California. At the time, suspected cases of a fatal human variant of mad cow disease called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease appeared. Although there is concern over the safety of U.S. beef, the government has decided to import even bone-in beef without offering any guarantee against mad cow disease. It is like the government has turned a blind eye to the public health.

Even more worrisome is whether the government has prepared countermeasures against future problems related to the resumption of beef imports. Seoul will announce its plans on April 21 after holding a meeting of related ministers. The government looks to be in doubt about what to do after having hurriedly signed an agreement on beef imports just to have it coincide with the summit talks. The government should prepare effective measures for livestock farms, but it will be of some concern if the government is unable to quell the anger of the farmers who will be affected.

To prevent the nation from continuing to make unilateral concessions, such as were made in the negotiations on U.S. beef, South Korea should ensure that it comes away with some positive gains. Seoul seems to expect that the U.S. Congress will ratify the free trade agreement between the two nations soon, but this is just wishful thinking. Instead, the United States has once again raised the issue of automobiles. This means that the nation has received an uncertain bill of sale for conceding its beef market and sacrificing both the public health and livestock farms. The people should object to, and denounce, future negotiations of this kind.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

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