Korea already hedging on U.S. beef imports

Facing tough opposition from domestic farmers, South Korea is already backtracking on a new trade agreement it signed with the U.S. to open its borders to U.S. beef from animals of any age.

While the Korean Ag Minister did go on national television to call a lot of the things being said about U.S. beef "lies," he also announced that all U.S. beef would be quarantined at the dock and more rigorously tested before it is allowed into the country. American meat industry officials, at least, consider this backtracking on the agreement to open Korea's borders.

Korea has just barely opened its borders to U.S. beef, ever since cutting it off entirely during the overblown BSE scare. Numerous shipments under the previous 20-month age restriction, were still rejected due to minute bone fragments or other trumped up causes. The added border inspections cannot be considered a good sign.

It boils down to domestic politics--finding some way to placate Korea's farmers, who see U.S. beef supplanting their own in the marketplace, and good faith on the part of the government, to uphold the trade agreement it signed. In most Asian countries, where the domestically-produced beef is primarily from dairy cows and not feedlot fattened, the corn-fed U.S. beef from young beef-breed animals quickly gains a toehold in the market, due to its superior taste, tenderness and texture.

The Bush administration can be counted on to hold Korea's feet to the fire on the beef agreement, which it made a lynchpin for the broader trade agreement the Korea premier signed a few weeks ago at Camp David. A new administration in Washington may not have similar resolve.