hankyoreh

By Ahn Chang-hyun, Blue House correspondent
President Lee Myung-bak gave instructions Monday to “take responsibility for public health” following the discovery of a cow infected with mad cow disease (BSE) in the US. With his remarks, Lee broke a nearly five-day silence on the issue since the disease was discovered in the US on Apr. 24 (local time).
While presiding over a senior secretaries’ meeting Monday morning at the Blue House, Lee instructed the administration to “manage policy effectively, examining all areas of prices, jobs, public safety, and health,” Blue House spokesman Park Jung-ha said.
Lee broached the topic of BSE while reviewing issues at the end of the meeting after receiving reports from the different secretaries. Observers interpreted his oblique use of the term “public health” rather than making direct reference to BSE as indicating his desire to keep a distance from the issue.
Some analysts said Lee likely felt compelled to say something on the issue after continued public interest in hearing his response. During the candlelight vigils over US beef imports in May 2008, he ended up stoking backlash when he appeared on radio in an effort to win the public over, dismissively referring to “mad cow disease urban legends.” Observers suggested that his reluctance to comment on the BSE case bears some connection to this painful memory.
Park quoted the office of the senior secretary for economic affairs as reporting to Lee during the meeting that “we are putting public health first, and the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MIFAFF) is taking thorough measures to minimize public concerns.”
Animal, Plant and Fisheries Quarantine and Inspection Agency (QIA) chief ark Yong-ho, the working-level official in charge of BSE quarantine efforts, has reportedly emphasized the need to halt quarantine inspections. Park’s position stands in contrast with the government’s on US beef quarantine procedures.
Park is viewed as the government’s top expert on BSE quarantine efforts.
According to accounts Monday from the MIFAFF and QIA, Park issued an opinion to the ministry recommending a halt to quarantine inspections on Apr. 25 (local time), when news about the US BSE case broke. Park was also reported as being opposed to the government’s approach of intensifying quarantine efforts by opening half of all shipments of imported US beef.
Park declined to respond when asked whether he had recommended a quarantine inspection halt and what his position was during a talk with reporters Monday, saying he would “address the issue separately.”
Speaking in a telephone interview the Hankyoreh after the talk, Park said, “Put me down as ‘no comment.’”
QIA employees were said to be exhausted and demoralized after opening inspections on US beef were ramped up. An employee there said, “If the stronger quarantine measures were absolutely necessary, then it would be tough but doable, but it’s humiliating to do it knowing that it’s all just a show.
"If they really believe [the meat] is safe because [the cattle] are younger than 30 months, they should just let it through," the employee said. "Otherwise, they should halt quarantine inspections right now and alleviate public distrust."
Meanwhile, Food Ministry quarantine policy chief Jeon Jong-min said the local embassy in Thailand had contacted the Department of Livestock Development chief quoted in a recent report by the English-language newspaper Bangkok Post, and confirmed that the country was continuing to import US beef without taking any suspension measures.
"We have determined that media reports on the Thai government halting imports are contrary to the facts," Jeon said.
　
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