May 19, 2008

US rejects plea by South Korea to backtrack on accord

A top US trade official Friday (May 16, 2008) rejected South Korea calls to re-negotiate an accord which allowed the US to resume beef exports to South Korea.

Fears of mad cow disease have spread among many South Koreans since Seoul agreed last month to resume full-scale imports of US beef for the first time in four years.

US Commerce Secretary Carlos Guiterrez, speaking at a news conference in Seoul, said that every country has a right to ensure the safety of its citizens, but American beef was safe and there is no reason for the beef agreement to be re-negotiated.

"US beef has the highest standard of quality and safety in the world. Second to none," he said. "Beef that we'll be selling to Korea is the same beef that we all buy in the US and that we feed our children in the US"

In recent days, thousands of South Koreans have attended candlelight vigils calling on their government to scrap the beef deal. These efforts have prompted the South Korean government to delay issuing a government notice on the resumption, a measure required to restart imports.

Imports were initially scheduled to resume earlier this week.

Last month's deal to reopen South Korea's market to American beef came just hours before South Korean President Lee Myung-bak held his first summit with US President George W. Bush. The pact was widely seen as a concession to get the US Congress to approve a broader trade deal.