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However, the opposition remains skeptical over deal
May 14, 2008
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“The United States recognizes that Article XX of the GATT preserves Korea’s right to take measures necessary to protect public health,” she said. Her remarks came after Prime Minister Han Seung-soo said in a televised statement last week that the Korean government makes people’s health its first priority. “The United States accepts and supports the prime minister’s statement and would not ask for anything different,” Schwab also said. Facing doubts that the Korean government didn’t understand details of its beef-import pact with the United States, President Lee Myung-bak told his aides yesterday that it harms the government when the public is misinformed about the country’s policies. “Public health and food security are matters about which the government should keep the citizens fully apprised,” Lee said during yesterday’s cabinet meeting. “But I have to admit that the government did not do enough in this case.” His words are part of an effort to reach out to the public that has turned against the government after it decided to resume U.S. beef imports. Since then, fear over mad cow disease has intensified. Opponents are demanding that the beef pact be renegotiated if the government wants the pending Korea-U.S. free trade agreement ratified. In the cabinet meeting, Lee reassured the public that the FTA is a good deal for Korea and that it’s the government’s job to explain this to the public. He also mentioned Washington’s new stance that it has accepted his administration’s plan to stop importing American beef if there is a new case of mad cow disease in the United States. Nevertheless, a scheduled hearing on the Korea-U.S. FTA at the National Assembly yesterday left the political opposition parties still attacking the government. They questioned why the government announced to the public that the animal feed regulations in the United States had been toughened when some say they had not. The government laid the blame on an incorrect English translation. Though the Agriculture Ministry admitted so the day before, Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon, who had been the top FTA negotiator, denied it yesterday. The question involves the use of beef protein, particularly neural tissue, that can be used in animal feed. The use of such cannibalized beef was at the heart of the spread of mad cow disease in the United Kingdom. Some rendered cattle protein can be used to feed other animals. However, there is a chance of mixing of ruminant and nonruminant feed. To further guard against that, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a April 24 release that only certain cows can be used in animal feed. This has sparked the debate. The following is the statement from that release: “The entire carcass of cattle not inspected and passed for human consumption is also prohibited, unless the cattle are less than 30 months of age, or the brains and spinal cords have been removed.” But in a release on the beef agreement, the Korean government said the U.S. FDA had toughened regulations because it translated the sentence as “the entire carcass of cattle not inspected and passed for human consumption is prohibited ‘even if’ the cattle are less than 30 months of age.” “What the Korean government has acknowledged is what the U.S. FDA issued in the past,” said Kwon Young-ghil, a Democratic Labor Party lawmaker. Kwon argued that when trade minister Kim had said that the U.S. FDA release had actually strengthened safeguards for consumers of beef, the United States deceived Korea by not informing it of the revision of its article. This, Kwon said, could be a good reason for going back to the renegotiation on the beef import deal. “We cannot seek renegotiation [merely] due to the negative public opinion,” answered Kim, the trade minister. “Scientific proof is necessary to nullify the deal.” Meanwhile, police asked Daum and Naver Web portals to identify 21 users who have spread malicious rumors about mad cow disease. Those users have actively written or copied and pasted horrific tales about U.S. cows entering Korea. Police also said they will punish the organizers of the candlelight vigils protesting the beef deal because it was illegal. By Lee Min-a Staff Reporter[mina@joongang.co.kr] |
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