Newest mad cow case likely to stifle opening of beef market

The first case of mad cow disease in the U.S. makes Korea seem unlikely to open its beef market completely for the time being in six years, a demand that the U.S. has made for a long time.

Washington has asked Seoul to open the Korean beef market since 2008, when the import of U.S. beef from cows under 30 months old was allowed. The U.S. Trade Representative said in a report to Congress on April 2, “We will request Seoul to start negotiations over the complete application of the sanitary conditions for U.S. beef import soon.”

With the latest case of mad cow disease, however, Washington will have little room for further pressure on Seoul for the time being. The Korean Trade Ministry said, “We`ve had no negotiations with Washington on U.S. beef imports from cows older than 30 months. We will make public health and safety our top priority and will take care of this carefully.”

Nonetheless, opening the Korean beef market is highly likely to turn controversial in the run-up to the December presidential election. Both the ruling and opposition parties demanded immediate action by the government Wednesday.

Lee Sang-il, spokesman of the ruling Saenuri Party, said, “The government should take all possible actions that can address the people’s concerns until the safety of U.S. beef is confirmed.” The policy committee of the main opposition Democratic United Party said, “The government should stop U.S. beef imports immediately and take all possible actions that can reassure the people through renegotiation over stricter import conditions. Lee Ji-an, deputy spokeswoman of the minor opposition Unified Progressive Party, said, “A full revision of beef import conditions is required.

january@donga.com ddr@donga.com