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charlieDD
Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: Seoul, Korea
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 Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:23 am Post subject: Those kids in cow outfits |
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Last week on a downtown subway I saw a bunch of Kyunghee University students riding the trains dressed in cow costumes and carrying anti-FTA placards. They somehow were linking it to the American beef import issue.
Then I read yesterday that beef imports rose 20% last year due to the high price of Korean beef, and that Australia has essentially filled the void left by the American beef that has been banned for the past three years. (And that Korea imports beef from Mexico; some 2,500 tons last year.
That surprised me. Not likely to see that one in the supermarket meat case, huh?!)
I remember reading in an international business magazine a while back about how a significant proportion of Korean people have given up on having beef as part of their regular diet because they simply can't afford it.
But, a cause is a cause, I suppose.
Oh, and those cow kids are wimps compared to their predecessors ( i.e. the university students of the 70's, 80's and the actual, physical fights they used to have with the police over their causes).
Last edited by charlieDD on Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:28 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:38 am Post subject: |
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A good part of the beef (and pork) that is imported is sold in the restaurants at inflated prices. They buy it cheaper than the local stuff and then pass it off as Korean-produced. That way everyone is happy. The restaurant owner makes a big profit and the customer can pretend he/she is supporting the local economy.
What's not to like? |
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charlieDD
Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: Seoul, Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:50 am Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
A good part of the beef (and pork) that is imported is sold in the restaurants at inflated prices. They buy it cheaper than the local stuff and then pass it off as Korean-produced. That way everyone is happy. The restaurant owner makes a big profit and the customer can pretend he/she is supporting the local economy.
What's not to like? |
Agree. It's a scam and all the participants are happy to keep it going; the importers, the distributors, the supermarkets, the restaurants (and likely, as you say, even many of the end consumers).
While in Thailand last weekend for the Clapton concert, and while visiting a super, found Australian, New Zealand, American beef - - all at the kind of prices you would expect to pay back home.
Have an American friend teaching in Saudi. He reports the same thing: prices of beef there no different really from back home prices.
I too think the importers are getting Australian beef at international rates, which are far closer to "back home" prices, and selling it at huge profits in Korea. Whether they are passing it off as Korean beef, I'm not sure. I have heard it used to happen with American beef, though.
I have wondered if the Aussie companies are cashing in on the whole scenario as well. Knowing what it's selling for in Korea, they raise their prices to Korean importers?
So, if you take the "mad cow" issue out of the mix, what makes Korean beef producers so afraid of American beef when Australian beef is being imported at the levels American beef used to be? I wonder if it could be that they think the American beef industry will push for mass marketing at lowest possible prices and not play the scam game, seeing more to gain from larger volumes of sales, rather than premium prices on smaller volumes.
Don't know; don't know. It's amusing to watch it all play out though.
Last edited by charlieDD on Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:59 am; edited 1 time in total |
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europe2seoul
Joined: 12 Sep 2005
Location: Seoul, Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:55 am Post subject: Re: Those kids in cow outfits |
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| charlieDD wrote: |
I remember reading in an international business magazine a while back about how a significant proportion of Korean people have given up on having beef as part of their regular diet because they simply can't afford it.
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Yeah. Nicely marbled beef is about 8000-9000 won per 100g. So one piece is about 8-9K. Who can afford it regularly? And imported Australian is half price, about 4500won. So, to eat Outback steak house size you will pay almost same, if not the same, price as in the outback. You might as well go there and get the "free" stuff (sidedishes, salad, and all). |
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Captain Corea
Joined: 28 Feb 2005
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 6:02 am Post subject: |
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I love that they wear dairy cow outfits as well  |
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Bibbitybop
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 6:57 am Post subject: |
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| Oh, and those cow kids are wimps compared to their predecessors ( i.e. the university students of the 70's, 80's and the actual, physical fights they used to have with the police over their causes. |
Because resorting to violence is a sure way get credibility and encourage society to respect your opinion. |
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charlieDD
Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: Seoul, Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:26 pm Post subject: |
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| Bibbitybop wrote: |
| Quote: |
| Oh, and those cow kids are wimps compared to their predecessors ( i.e. the university students of the 70's, 80's and the actual, physical fights they used to have with the police over their causes. |
Because resorting to violence is a sure way get credibility and encourage society to respect your opinion. |
Because their predecessors had real issues and real oppression and lived in a world where physical force was the reality.
A lot of good a cow suit would have done you to keep Mr. State Policeman from cracking your head for having an opinion as soon as you dared stepped off campus. |
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Ya-ta Boy
Joined: 16 Jan 2003
Location: Established in 1994
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 1:43 pm Post subject: |
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| carrying anti-FTA placards |
I understand concerns about any FTA agreement. They always mean some locals will suffer. What I don't understand is why so many Koreans object. This is a country that rose from the dead because of free trade benefits. Korea is probably the best example in the world. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
I once had a conversation about this with a Korean friend who has a PhD. I said that every time Kia sells a car in the US, a US auto worker loses a job. (I know its not literally true.) Why should the US allow Kia to sell any cars? We make our own. And he said, "Wow. I never thought of it that way." When even a PhD doesn't step out of his frog in a well point of view its because no one has ever challenged the received view of one-way free trade. |
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ella
Joined: 17 Apr 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 4:02 pm Post subject: |
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| And I thought they were PETA activists. |
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Bibbitybop
Joined: 22 Feb 2006
Location: Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 6:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Because their predecessors had real issues and real oppression and lived in a world where physical force was the reality. |
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ghandi. |
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RACETRAITOR
Joined: 24 Oct 2005
Location: Seoul, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 6:45 pm Post subject: |
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| My country's in a free trade agreement with the US and they farked us out of five billion on illegal tariffs. Koreans need to make a lot more noise against having a similar agreement with the US. |
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mole
Joined: 06 Feb 2003
Location: Act III
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:12 pm Post subject: |
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I always bought Aussie beef in Korea. Miss seeing it at the butcher's here in Texas.
I suppose it makes no sense, but I only buy raw beef a few times a year.
I don't care if it's been frozen. That's the only reason to buy fresh Korean beef.
And I never tasted a big difference. |
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Newbie
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Wed Jan 17, 2007 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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| RACETRAITOR wrote: |
| My country's in a free trade agreement with the US and they farked us out of five billion on illegal tariffs. Koreans need to make a lot more noise against having a similar agreement with the US. |
But hasn't your country benefited in so many other ways? Just wondering. |
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charlieDD
Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: Seoul, Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 2:34 am Post subject: |
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| Bibbitybop wrote: |
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| Because their predecessors had real issues and real oppression and lived in a world where physical force was the reality. |
Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ghandi. |
Oh, (reluctance, reluctance, reluctance) . . okay, you're right; but I'm not exactly wrong: they (these uni kids who do these protests) are wimps nowadays compared to their predecessors, mostly because they just don't have the real cause that their seniors had or the fire for it. It seems more like an entertaining thing to do from time to time, before heading off on a date, shopping, . . . Kind of like a project in a "Protesting 101" course; as much to do with the great movements of their predecessors as a toga party has to do with ancient Greek culture. |
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charlieDD
Joined: 16 Jun 2006
Location: Seoul, Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jan 18, 2007 3:29 am Post subject: |
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| Ya-ta Boy wrote: |
| Quote: |
| carrying anti-FTA placards |
I understand concerns about any FTA agreement. They always mean some locals will suffer. What I don't understand is why so many Koreans object. This is a country that rose from the dead because of free trade benefits. Korea is probably the best example in the world. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.
I once had a conversation about this with a Korean friend who has a PhD. I said that every time Kia sells a car in the US, a US auto worker loses a job. (I know its not literally true.) Why should the US allow Kia to sell any cars? We make our own. And he said, "Wow. I never thought of it that way." When even a PhD doesn't step out of his frog in a well point of view its because no one has ever challenged the received view of one-way free trade. |
The other thing, why are there only protests on the streets when it's American beef, or American rice, etc? As covered above, they're importing nearly 200,000 tons of Australian beef a year. Why aren't the students out there complaining about that?
The Thai gov't has refused to sign an FTA with Korea over rice. Thailand is the world's largest exporter of rice. They want to export 30,000 tons a year to Korea, and Korea seems to be seriously considering compromising with them on it so they can sew up the ASEAN FTA, (Thailand is the only holdout). Why aren't the farmers blocking downtown traffic over possible Thai rice imports?
Me thinks there's more to it.
Last edited by charlieDD on Thu Jan 18, 2007 4:05 am; edited 1 time in total |
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