Rice Confronted With Korean Beef Dispute

Secretary Of State Vouches For Purity Of U.S. Beef During Korean Visit

(AP)  Beef bested bombs.

America's chief diplomat found herself vouching for the purity of U.S. cattle Saturday, wading into a bitter trade dispute that for South Koreans has eclipsed the long-running drama over North Korea's nuclear activity and threatened the government of President Lee Myung-bak.

Just one day after the communist North demolished the most visible symbol of its nuclear programs, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice faced a barrage of questions about the safety of American steaks, chops and burgers. She had told reporters she hoped this issue would not distract from other matters.

"I want to assure everyone that American beef is safe," she told a news conference with South Korea's foreign minister, Yu Myung-hwan. "We will continue to work with you to have consumer confidence in that matter. We want there to be consumer confidence in American beef."

But Yu said the beef issue probably would not go away quickly.

"It will take time for that risk to be erased from the minds of the Korean public," he said.

For many South Koreans, who have lived with threats from their neighbor for five decades, the nuclear issue is of less concern than is Seoul's agreement to lift a ban on American beef imports in April as a way to restore strained ties with Washington.

Activists have staged daily rallies on the streets of the capital to voice fears about possible health risks such as mad cow disease. As officials began inspecting U.S. beef on Friday before it can reach markets, hundreds of labor activists blocked customs storage facilities.

A small but loud and angry group of about 15 sign-carrying protesters gathered outside the South Korean Foreign Ministry, where Rice met with Yu.

"Rice go home," they chanted. Placards said, "Stop Rice and Mad Cow," and "We Don't Need U.S. Troops. We Don't Need Mad Cows."

Later Saturday, about 15,000 people staged another street rally in Seoul, clashing with riot police who stopped them from marching into the presidential Blue House, according to police. Protesters wielded steel pipes and threw stones at riot police who used water cannons and fire extinguishers to repel them, police said.

Police said they arrested more than 50 protesters on charges of beating riot police and illegally occupying streets. Hundreds of riot police and protesters were injured during the rally that continued until early Sunday morning, according to media reports.

U.S. beef was banned for most of the past 4 1/2 years, since the first case of mad cow disease in the U.S. was discovered in late 2003. In the wake of public outrage over plans to resume shipments of American beef, the South Korean Cabinet has offered to resign and the president has reshuffled top advisers.

Seoul agreed to resume U.S. beef imports only after American producers said they would limit shipments to meat from cattle younger than 30 months. These animals are believed less susceptible to mad cow disease. The restriction was considered a transitional step that will be lifted when conditions change in South Korea.

Traveling to Seoul after meetings in Japan, where North Korea dominated the agenda, Rice expressed hope that South Koreans would accept official assurances there are no health issues with American beef.

"We hope that in time the South Korean people will listen to that and will be willing to listen to what their government is saying and what we're saying," she told reporters on her plane. "The U.S. believes strongly in the safety of its product."

In Seoul, Rice did manage, briefly, to address the North Korea developments. She said Friday's destruction of the cooling tower at the North's main nuclear facility was significant, but that far more had to be done.

The demolition followed moves this past week by the U.S. to end penalties North Korea in response to the country's submission of a long-delayed declaration of its nuclear programs.

"I expect that the North will live up to the obligations that it's undertaken, to take those concerns seriously and to address them," Rice said. There are suspicions that information was left out of the declaration, such as Pyongyang's alleged uranium enrichment and nuclear proliferation.

"At the end of this, we have to have the abandonment of all programs, weapons and materials," she said.

After seeing Yu, Rice met with Lee and briefed him on recent progress on the nuclear issue. Lee told her that the two countries should work closely to get North Korea to give up all nuclear weapons and programs, a statement from the presidential Blue House said.

[vietnam21]

They don''t like beef, they like dog meat.

[captalistpig]

McCain/Rice!

It''s whats for the next 8 years.

[seis-6-six]

by rushman71


hahahahahahahhahahahahahahaha

[acolton1]

BEEF its whats for Dinner!

[aerhed]

I''m pretty sure she''s not good for anything much. Just another oil exec gone bad.

[rushman71]

Rice Confronted With Korean Beef?

Don''t you think that it would be a tad bit too small for her? LOL

[hypnotoad72]

Whoops, I was thinking about Rice-a-Roni when I first read the headline. :blush:

[kamsack50]

Check on the internet about Korean anti-US videos. It is very popular there to positively despise the US -especially among college students who are on the demo fashion big-time.
It''s ironic, considering their susceptibility to North Korea and dependence on the US.
Koreans are extremely different in character - i.e. emotionally explosive - than the neighboring Japanese.

[becksteen]

I don''t blame them, the lack of oversight for food products in this country is a crime. And the one company that declared it plans to inspect all of it''s meat for mad cow disease (as they do in the UK, Japan and many other countries) is being told by the US Government that they can''t. It might make too much competition for the other beef companies and they pay off the big wigs to ensure that won''t happen. Just like they have corrupt Ohio Officials in the bag to make it hard to let people know your milk is pure on your labels. We only eat imported beef from countries that inspect all of their beef.

[fishinfool43]

Posted by dbeatty789 at 02:19 PM : Jun 29, 2008

your numbers seem kinda high, you are talking aproximately 10.5 tons(365 bushel) of grain per head alone. are you counting silage along with it. with the ethanol industry trying to get cellulose production off the ground (which isn''t working all that well). compare that with the majority of vehicles on the road that are not E85 compatible, and the 10% ethanol blend being the norm, we will still be dependent on petroleum based fuel until everything on the road is E85, or 100% ethanol, or other alternative fuel. In the mean time there will always be a demand for beef. People can quit driving but they cant quit eating.

[dbeatty789]

Back off on beef production and turn the grain into alcohol - and run our cars on it. It takes 17 times the weight of the cow in grain to produce beef.

In the future, if S. Korea wants to buy beef ... let them ask their friendly cousins in the north for a handout.

[bluestardad]

MISS NO ACTIONABLE INTELLIGENCE

SHE SHOULD BE TRIED FOR INCOMPETENCE RESULTING IN DEATH OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE!

SHE ALSO SHOULD BE TRIED FOR WAR CRIMES!

AMERICA STAND UP OR SHUT UP!

[lontrotsky]

Lets see, which autos are made in Korea? No U.S. beef exports to Korea, no Korean auto exports to United States. Simple enough.

[hbevis]

I THINK THAT PEOPLE EVERYWHERE SHOULD PROTEST AGAINST UNITED STATES BEEF. IT FULL OF ANTIBIOTICS THAT IS PUT IN THE CATTLE FEED. IT IS BAD FOR OUR BODIES AND IS MAKING THE BODIES OF PEOPLE IMMUNE TO THOSE ANTIBIOTICS.
SO, WHEN YOU GET SICK THE MEDICINE THAT YOUR DOCTOR GIVE MAY NOT DO YOU ANY GOOD.

[fishinfool43]

With all the flooding in the Midwest and talk of $10/ bushel corn, what will that do to the beef prices???
Will the N. Koreans be paying accordingly. I think not. They would be much happier eating RICE. LOL. Then they would be doing us a huge favor. That would top them destroying their nuclear tower. I don''t think we should be shipping any beef, anywhere, at this time, reason being, it will drive our prices even higher, while the beef producers will be taking it in the shorts and the gov''t will be reaping the benefits.

[prairiefox1]

HMMM! SELF IMPOSED SANCTIONS! LET US COOPERATE AND STOP ALL OF OUR EXPORTS TO THAT COUNTRY?
THEY WILL LOVE US FOR THAT! IT IS PLAIN AND SIMPLE!

[ponco seno]

Their is no Bacteria that will survive a well done piece of steak, once in a while a colon cleaning is necesary, so don''t shy away from a day or two of diahrea.

[Michael Arnold]

I don''t blame them. I don''t wanna eat it either. Yuckkk!

[hungry1968]

"I''m only the Secretary of State. Why do I have to keep trying to negotiate with these foreign countries?"

[inventagod2]

6/26/08
''I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, find that the current existence and risk of the proliferation of weapons-usable fissile material on the Korean Peninsula constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States, and I hereby declare a ''national emergency'' to deal with that threat.''

What''s Dubya up to this time???