Thousands Protest U.S. Beef In S. Korea

(AP)  Police clashed with elements of a crowd estimated at nearly 40,000 who protested into early Sunday in downtown Seoul against South Korean government plans to import U.S. beef.

Water cannons were fired at some of the protesters who were blocked by police buses from a road leading to the presidential Blue House, prompting angry reaction from demonstrators.

Several protesters injured by the water cannon were taken to hospital.

A crowd estimated by police at 38,000 people filled a plaza in front of city hall. Protesters lit candles, waved placards and chanted slogans criticizing President Lee Myung-bak.

The rally was largely peaceful, with most protesters dispersing voluntarily. But sporadic clashes between some protesters and police continued into the early hours of Sunday.

South Korea agreed in April to reopen what was formerly the third-largest overseas market for U.S. beef. It had been shut most of the past 4 1/2 years following the first U.S. case of mad cow disease in a Canadian-born cow in Washington state in 2003.

That deal, coupled with some sensational media reports, sparked fears of mad cow disease and triggered protests calling for scrapping or renegotiating the agreement.

Students, labor union members, office workers were among those who filled the plaza, which was surrounded by special buses used by riot police.

Anger has intensified since Thursday, when the government announced it would implement the April 18 agreement with Washington and resume beef imports within days despite widespread public opposition.

Rallies in recent days have ended with protesters marching through downtown streets, where some scuffles with police have resulted. Police said they deployed about 11,000 personnel to protest sites in the capital Saturday to guard against possible violence.

The beef issue has emerged as the biggest domestic challenge for Lee's fledgling administration. The former construction industry chief executive took office Feb. 25 on a vow to boost the economy and is approaching his 100th day in office.

Though his margin of victory in December's election was the largest ever in South Korea, his handling of the beef agreement has seen his popularity plummet to levels near 20 percent.

The timing of the deal - just hours before a summit with U.S. President George W. Bush at his Camp David retreat - struck a particularly raw nerve.

Protesters claim Lee was too quick to concede to U.S. demands for access to South Korea's market to win favor with Washington and garner support in Congress for ratification of a separate free trade agreement.

Scientists believe mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, spreads when farmers feed cattle recycled meat and bones from infected animals. The U.S. banned recycled feeds in 1997.

In humans, eating meat products contaminated with the cattle disease is linked to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare and fatal malady.

[gomdoll2]

Please note that Japan imports US beef only younger than 20 month old. Koreans are saying "Please younger 30 month." You better stop buying Lexus & Toyota before Hyundai.

[gomdoll2]

No one has eaten beef which Americans are NOT allowed to eat by Law yet fortunately.

Now those leftover trashs are comming into Korea.


And we never know if those trashes aleady went to feed some poor African ppl who can''t poove mad cow disease by themself.

No proof doesnt mean no existance.

[volkswagen6]

No one has ever gotten mad cow disease from American beef. This alone is enough to establish the fear in Korea is irrational.

[gomdoll2]

Sorry I''m Korean. So my comment hear might be biased.

I dont want some US beef(older than 30 month old and no SRM) It doesnt mean that I dont want all US beef at all nor I hate US. I am living in US and I love to be here. I eat US beef almost everyday. Why? Cuz all beef I buy here is less than 30 month old. That''s what I want people in Korea to eat.

Alot of comments here mentioned Korean Cars.
Do you think US imports all Korean Cars? We only import cars that meet US safe specifications.
That''s comsummer''s right, isnt it?

This protest is about unfairness of deal and our leaders stupidness.

I mean did you buy Korean cars because you like Koreans?
Do we have to buy whatever you sell just because you helped us 50 years ago?
You dont buy anything from Germany because of WW II?

[minisohn]

FDA%u2019s decision to only ban a limited subset of specified risk materials (SRMs)%u2014the brain and spinal cord%u2014from cattle over 30 months from all animal feed, leaves the safety of beef at risk. Although this is a small step forward, this ban will not close the loopholes in the present feed ban and fully protect the US from the spread of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). The proposed feed ban appears to put the economic interests of the rendering and feed industry above public health concerns.

[greenerin]

hello, i am korean, oh well, i see some biased perspectives toward korean people as antiamericanist, nationalist or whatever. but the point of demonstration is not against US but against the incompetent and deafish new korean government. of course we have right to eat what we want to eat but the new government even gave the right to quarantine meats to US government. and what they are trying to say now is that they will put lots of forces to inspect safe beef from bad beef when the import starts but how long will it last? no korean people is believing whatever it says. so, the point is you can''t blame us to being resistance to the negotiation but have to accept our great apologize for letting ******* president negotiate with your government.

[peace001-2009]

The reason why Koreans do protest is related with the fact in that imported beef is not the same as the beef sold in US. In US, the circulated beef is aged less than 18 monthes. However to be imported beef is older than 30 monthes. According to most study of "mad cow disease", the mad cow dieses is related with the age of cow itself.

In 2005, South Korea already opened their beef market to US with the condition of aged less than 20 monthes. South Korea is the 3rd country to import US beef in the world.

Besides, it is relaed with the specific parts of the beef. Technically, the part which can cause the mad cow dieses is "SRM". SRM would be bones, intestines etc. Many of the Korean foods make soup out of bones. It made people dreadful.

It is not realted with US people or US product. It is more related with the fact that they would like to keep their right not to get the mad cow disease.

[blueberry79]

What makes Korean angry is that imported beef is different from that of American eating. More than 90% of Americans don''t eat over 30 months beef because it is likely to cause mad cow disease. Study more if you don''t understand why the over 30 months beef could be dangerous. Again, the point is the beef itself. I guess Koreans wouldn''t have gotten any problem with the US beef if US had tried to sell the same beef as they eat.

[jdyim]

TO Hokimonki,
Thanks a lot for your comment. But please be careful not to post the same stories many times. Don''t press the ''publish'' button repeatedly. Click once, wait and refresh the page.

[jdyim]

Hey guys, READ comments. Hokimonki just got the points;

No Korean protester is blaming on US. They rally against Mr. Lee, the president.

They accept all US beef but from over-30-months cows. 95% of beef on your dinner table is from safe cows which are less than 30 months.

How lucky you are - your government exactly knows how to keep its people safe from the Mad-Cow Disease!