Peter Tan, president of Burger King Asia Pacific Ltd., sent the Dong-A Ilbo a media statement along with his letter Thursday, saying, Hamburger meat patties served in American branches can be made of beef from cattle older than 30 months.
Under American law, hamburger patties must be made of beef from cattle that are healthy and able to walk. But there is no mention of age limits that require us to use only cattle less than 30 months old, said the media statement. A patty refers to a flat round cake of minced meat.
An official of Burger King Korea who delivered Tans letter and the media statement said, The headquarters ordered us to convey our sincere apology to the Dong-A Ilbo and columnists. Though its quite difficult, we have decided to make public the detailed information.
The apology was made with regard to a June 21 column entitled Science and Reason, written by senior editorial writer Hwang Ho-taek.
Hwang said in the column, Surrendering to the nationwide candlelight vigil protests, the government announced not to import beef from cattle older than 30 months through an additional negotiation with the United States. But beef from cattle older than 30 months, whose specified risk materials are removed, can be used in hamburgers served in McDonalds and Burger King. If the candlelight vigil rallies succeeded in preventing hamburger beef, which is Americans dietary food, from entering the nation, those who held candles in protests would probably feel disheartened.
Hwang based his writing on what were reported in the American news media. A Wall Street Journal article dated June 6 said, (Korean) protesters and politicians from opposition parties request a renegotiation that will ban trade of beef from cattle older than 30 months. However, some 20 percent of beef used for hamburgers in the United States is from cattle over 30 months old. USA Today said in an editorial piece dated June 12, Americans who eat hamburgers couldnt understand why tens of thousands of Koreans are staging protests against U.S. beef.
USA Today also added that in a country that shares its border with a capricious regime equipped with nuclear weapons, it may look weird and unreasonable that people take to the streets due to the apprehension over the safety of the U.S. beef.