mrsquirrel
Joined: 13 Dec 2006
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 Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:10 pm Post subject: South Korean Police Break Up Rally Against U.S. Beef |
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South Korean Police Break Up Rally Against U.S. Beef (Update1)
By Heejin Koo
June 2 (Bloomberg) -- South Korean police used force to break up a rally in downtown Seoul by 20,000 people demanding the government cancel plans to resume imports of U.S. beef.
About 8,000 officers, some in riot gear, sprayed protesters with fire extinguishers and pushed them aside with shields as they tried to break through police barricades on Sejong Avenue at 4:30 a.m. local time today.
Demonstrators, some shouting ``stop police brutality'' and ``negotiations were void,'' used ropes in a bid to remove buses used by police to block the route to the presidential office, known as the Blue House.
AntiMadCow, an umbrella organization of South Korean consumer groups, food safety advocates and student activists concerned about mad cow disease, has been holding daily candle- lit vigils calling on President Lee Myung Bak to renegotiate an agreement dropping restrictions on U.S. beef imports.
Public outrage has more than halved his approval rating and is threatening to undermine the government's ability to win legislative support for a free-trade agreement with the U.S. and tax cuts and public works he pledged during his election campaign.
Tainted Feed
South Korea was the third-biggest buyer of U.S. beef before imposing a ban in December 2003 because of concerns about the brain-wasting disease, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy. Scientists say BSE is spread in cattle by tainted animal feed. Eating contaminated meat from infected animals can cause a fatal human variant that has been blamed for the deaths of 151 people in the U.K., where it was first reported in the 1980s.
South Korea partially lifted the ban in 2006, allowing boneless meat from cattle aged less then 31 months. It suspended imports of U.S. beef last year, when officials found bone fragments in the shipments.
Lee's administration announced April 18 it would drop restrictions on American beef imports during the president's visit to the U.S., where he sought support for a $29 billion free-trade agreement. Congressmen and senators had refused to consider the trade deal until South Korea reopened its market to U.S. beef.
Consumer Complaints
The government announced May 29 it had completed arrangements to resume imports, after twice delaying the move as consumer groups lodged more than 300 complaints.
Lee may replace some of his Cabinet and aides, including Agricultural Minister Chung Woon Chun and Health Minister Kim Soung Yee, because of their inability to defuse public concerns, Chosun Ilbo newspaper said, citing an unidentified Blue House official.
Police detained about 70 people overnight when protesters marched toward the Blue House. Two nights ago they used water cannons on demonstrators for the first time since rallies began in April, prompting public criticism.
South Korea bought 246,595 metric tons of U.S. beef valued at $815 million in 2003, the most behind Japan and Mexico, according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
Japan, which imported 298,517 tons of U.S. beef worth $1.17 billion in 2003, resumed some imports in 2005, allowing only American beef from cows under 21 months old, on the condition that the spinal column and other specified risk materials are removed. Japan's limit was set as the youngest case of the disease in its own herd was found in a 21-month-old animal.
There have been no reports of mad cow disease among South Korean cattle. Lee, who began his five-year term on Feb. 25, has pledged to ensure U.S. beef imported to the country is safe.
Lee's approval rating was more than 50 percent when he took office. It has fallen to between 19.7 percent and 22.9 percent, according to opinion surveys conducted by South Korean newspapers, including JoongAng Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo, to mark his 100th day in office tomorrow.
To contact the reporter on this story: Heejin Koo in Seoul at [email protected]
Last Updated: June 1, 2008 |
Do these people not have homes to go to? 4:30am rioting?
Interesting that he is talking about removing some of his ministers. |
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