August 10, 2006

South Korea insists FTA and US beef import ban are two separate issues

South Korea's resumption of US beef imports is not connected to the ongoing free trade agreement (FTA) talks between the two countries because it is a health issue and not a trade issue, a South Korean government official said Wednesday (Aug 9).

The current ban is in place because public health is a key factor in whether or not to allow US beef back into the country, Kim Sung-jin, deputy minister for international affairs at the Finance Ministry, said, reiterating that trade and public health are separate issues.

South Korea has imposed an import ban on US beef since late 2003 after a mad cow case was reported in the US.

South Korea and the US finished their second round of formal FTA talks in mid-July and the third round is to be held early next month.

The remarks come after reports said that US senators' letter to South Korea's President warning that the proposed FTA between the two countries may be threatened if the beef issue is not resolved.

South Korea had said in early June that it would postpone importing of US beef until certain processing conditions are satisfied.

South Korea is also sending another team of inspectors to look at the few plants it voiced concerns about in May. A South Korean report said inspectors are concerned that in these plants, Canadian beef is mixed with American beef when it is processed and the same equipment used for processing older cattle, at higher risk of mad cow disease, is used for younger cattle.

However, inspectors did not find any fault in 28 other processing plants.