Korea refuses to resume U.S. beef imports

The Korean government declined the U.S. government’s request to reconsider an import ban on U.S. beef that was imposed after a case of mad cow disease was confirmed in the U.S.

Korean officials led by Kim Su-ju, the deputy minister of agriculture and forestry, held a working-level meeting on Tuesday to discuss conditions for resuming U.S. beef imports with three U.S. delegates, including David Hegwood, counsel to the secretary of agriculture.

The U.S. delegation reportedly insisted that Korea should start negotiations to lift the import ban now that the sick cow has been found to have been imported from Canada. The Korean negotiating team declined the U.S. request by saying that it is too soon to reconsider the decision to ban U.S. beef imports. “Even though the fact that the infected cow came from Canada is confirmed, Korea needs to revise import procedures according to international conventions as Korea is a country free of mad cow disease, unlike Japan,” the Korean negotiators added.

Korea has suspended beef imports from 24 countries where mad cow disease cases were confirmed, including the U.S., as well as 10 EU members.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Monday that the Holstein infected with mad cow disease in Washington state was born in Alberta, Canada in April, 1997. The USDA’s chief veterinarian, Dr. Ron DeHaven, said that with time, the likelihood of the infection having started in the U.S. is getting lower. “There is no reason for people in the U.S. and other countries to raise questions about the safety of U.S. beef because the disease is not found in steak and lean meats,” he said.

Taiwan announced on Tuesday that it will ban imports of beef and other parts of U.S. cows for at least seven years.

McDonald’s Japan announced that the company will temporarily stop selling hot dogs made with U.S. beef, reported the Nihon Keizai newspaper of Japan.

Jin-Hup Song Kwan-Hee Hong jinhup@donga.com konihong@donga.com