Korea, U.S. to Produce Comprehensive Solution on Beef

Korea and the United States began another round of additional beef negotiations yesterday in Washington.

The Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry in Seoul said Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab will discuss the import of U.S. beef from cattle younger than 30 months.

Along with the third ministerial meeting between Kim and Schwab, working-level talks will also be held. The two countries also agreed to hold the talks Tuesday evening instead of Monday.

The delay indicates many things to coordinate before the negotiations, and that both parties are engaging in a war of nerves. Kim was about to return home via New York Saturday but at the request of the United States, he returned to Washington for further talks Monday.

The two parties will seek a “broad consensus” to help defuse the Korean public’s anger over U.S. beef, including an agreement to ban U.S. beef from cattle 30 months or older.

In this regard, the Trade Ministry’s wording of “the negotiation of U.S. beef imports from cattle younger than 30 months” means Seoul will engage in a comprehensive negotiations not only to ban imports of beef from cattle older than 30 months, but also to exclusively import beef from cattle less than 30 months old.

Kim is expected to convey to Schwab the Korean people’s sentiment over U.S. beef and request comprehensive solutions. Aware that anything short of negotiations will not assuage the Korean public’s apprehension over U.S. beef or recover its trust in the government, Kim is expected to press Washington for concessions.

Though Washington asked Seoul representatives to continue negotiations, it is unclear if progress will follow. If the talks fail to produce tangible results, the resumption of U.S. beef imports in Korea will see a further delay, intensifying the grievances from the U.S. cattle industry.

Because of this, Washington cannot turn a deaf ear to Seoul’s request and will reportedly observe the standards of the World Organization for Animal Health and minimize government intervention to avoid violating World Trade Organization rules.

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