Korea Debates the Beef Agreement

The Korean agreement to reopen its market to U.S. beef has led to considerable concern about the potential for mad cow disease - especially following media reports that Koreans are genetically more susceptible to it than Americans: U.S. beef jitters grip South Korea (Lee Jong-Heon, UPI AsiaOnline, May 2).

Kang Ki-kab, National Assemblyman and member of the leftish Democratic Labor Party, has been touring the country to drum up opposition to the beef agreement and the trade agreement.  Here's his profile: 'Peasant legislator' fights against U.S. beef imports (Shin Hae-in, Yonhap News, May 2, 2008).

A parliamentary committee has agreed to hold a hearing on the beef agreement in May: Parliamentary committee to hold hearing on U.S. beef deal (The Hankyoreh, April 29)

The Lee Administration is making its own case: Lee Seeks to Quell Mad-Cow Scaremongers (Jung Sung-ki, The Korea Times, May 2, 2008):

President Lee Myung-bak expressed concern Friday that the U.S. beef safety issue was being politicized by the opposition parties and progressive civic groups amid whirling rumors among the public about the dangers of mad cow disease.

Lee directed his Cabinet ministers to come up with comprehensive measures to publicize the truth and myths about the safety of American beef, presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said....