South Koreans protest U.S. beef

South Koreans protest U.S. beef as unsafe

Government trying to ease concerns amid flurry of Internet rumors

By Sue Chang, MarketWatch

Last Update: 2:43 PM ET May 10, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) — Protestors gathered Friday night in various cities
across South Korea to denounce their government’s decision to ease restrictions
on U.S. beef amid widespread fears the meat could be contaminated with mad cow
disease.

In Seoul, some 10,000 people attended a candlelight vigil, according to Korean
media reports. Such vigils have become a popular form of protest in recent years.

Public fears over the safety of U.S. beef have been fueled by unsubstantiated
Internet reports, with the South Korean government aggressively trying to ease
such concerns.

Last week, Prime Minister Han Seung-soo told the nation that if there is the
slightest indication U.S. beef is unsafe, the government will take immediate
action to reinstate an import ban.

The government also released a 10-point memo last week refuting many of the
rumors circulating via the Internet, including claims that Koreans are
genetically more susceptible to the human form of the mad cow disease.

How President Lee Myung-bak handles the U.S. beef controversy is expected to be a
critical litmus test of his leadership and an indication of whether he can
achieve a balance between his pro-U.S. stance and sometimes anti-U.S. public
opinion.

South Korea last month agreed to allow import of beef on the bone from cattle
under 30-months-old and further relax regulations to import meat from cattle
older than 30 months if the U.S. strengthens control on feed.

South Korea, once one of the largest markets for U.S. beef, banned its import in
2003 after a case of mad cow disease was discovered in the state of Washington.
It subsequently eased regulations in 2006 to allow the import of boneless beef
from some types of cattle.

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