U.S. to Prevent Exporting Beef From Older Cows

In response to Korea’s request not to export beef from cattle aged 30 months or older, the United States is making substantial efforts to prevent the export of such beef to Korea, U.S. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow said yesterday.

At a luncheon meeting with Creative Korea Party Chairman Moon Kook-hyun, Vershbow said Koreans’ demands can be sufficiently met without renegotiations.

Moon said, "The ambassador said U.S. beef companies have made major changes and are making efforts to indefinitely put off exporting beef from cattle more than 30 months old as long as Koreans oppose them.”

Vershbow said that Washington will dispel the Korean public’s fears of mad cow disease by labeling the cattle’s age, even for those aged less than 30 months. The United States will also discuss applying age labeling rules longer than what U.S. beef exporters expect should Koreans have suspicions, he said.

The tentatively named Korean Meat Importers Association also agreed to refrain from importing U.S. beef from cattle older than 30 months and announce a resolution soon.

On Tuesday night, Agriculture Minister Chung Woon-chun told reporters, “Proposals by U.S. meat exporters to voluntarily limit shipments of beef from cattle aged 30 months or older could be construed as a reply to the Korean government’s request.”

Minister Chung hinted at Seoul seeking a voluntary restraint agreement or a voluntary export restriction if Washington rejects renegotiations.

Opposition parties also stepped up pressure on the government, saying Seoul’s request for limiting exports of older beef is a makeshift measure.

The floor leaders of the main opposition United Democratic Party, the conservative Liberty Forward Party and the progressive Democratic Labor Party demanded the resignation of the entire Cabinet. They also sought a parliamentary inquiry into the beef deal in a meeting in the afternoon.

“Ambassador Vershbow is the one who expressed disappointment in the Korean government,” UDP Co-chairman Sohn Hak-kyu said in a meeting at party headquarters. “His words and attitude alone show that the beef measure is not a proper one.”

The provisionally named National Countermeasure Meeting against Imports of U.S. Beef Possibly Infected with Mad Cow Disease continued its candlelight vigil last night at Seoul Plaza in front of City Hall. The anti-U.S. beef group decided to stage a vigil for 72 hours from Thursday to Saturday and urged UDP lawmakers to join the protest.