Korean Job Discussion Forums

[hockeyguy109]

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/05/05/S-Korea-rejects-129-tons-of-US-beef/UPI-52101241527218/

I've been here for a month and noticed in the media and in restaurants how USA beef is frowned upon. I was surprised, because I thought the USA has stricter regulations of meat quality, etc. Don't get me wrong, it's still terrible, but I thought it'd be better than Asia.


Any thoughts?

[gangwonbound]

American beef is bigger than Korean beef...

[sarbonn]

It's just my opinion, and I limit to that, but my observation has been that a lot of this is fueled by the meat industry in Korea. American beef has a strong reputation to it, and at least to me it tastes a lot better than the stuff Korea sells. However, there's a need to present Korean beef as better than any alternative because they want to sell the homegrown brand. Therefore, they make up all sorts of ridiculousness like stating that Korean beef is more expensive because it's better, even though it's not really better. I've had conversations with people who actually tell me that because Korean meat is more expensive, it is obviously better. They do a lot of stuff like that in hopes of hoodwinking the public into believing in a false superiority of products that really have no national merit to it. I truly believe that these same people are behind the huge anti-American beef protests, and they go out of their way to keep mentioning mad cow disease (and probably North American flu now because it's tied to pork products from the west).

To be honest, I don't really care anymore. If the people want to believe that Korean beef is superior, let them pay more for a semi okay product.

[Robot_Teacher]

Domestic producers and sellers hate it, because it undermines their economic livelihood while Korea loves American beef and has nothing against Americans. Korea is protectionist and I can see why. If you plan to teach English for a long time to come, do you feel your livelihood threatened if an Indian or Philippino can replace you for half or less of what you cost? Sure, you don't hate Indians and Philippians, but you hate having your economic livelihood threatened, or worse, obliterated.

I feel America should be more protectionist, but it's too late for that as we've already been sold out when our companies outsourced it all to Asia. Koreans simply don't want to be sold out to cheaper competitors like we already have. I can see it from their point of view.

[chickenpie]

US beef, cheep and delicious.

My students go mental when I ask them how many (BSE) crazy cows they had in the USA, then I tell them how many we had in the UK. They ask how many in Korea, they are told we don't now because your science isn't good enough!!

[Adventurer]

[Morning_Star]

Because the cows sent to Korea are dairy cows that have been injected with hormones. They are cast offs from America because it's not allowed to be sold in America due to USDA regulations.

[Suwon23]

Remember also that the "Mad Cow Scare" was artificial. The "issue" with American beef didn't happen because Koreans are stupid. It was a test of Lee Myeongbak's administration by farming concerns upset by his decision to raise restrictions on imported foodstuffs, as well as media concerns who don't like his more conservative policies. It was a political face-off, with the poor, innocent, delicious cows caught in the middle; that's all. Look at how the conservative pundits who rant about illegal immigration are treating swine flu like the ten plagues of Egypt. Same thing.

[Gillian57]

[Cheonmunka]

Because of the damage US beef caused last year.

[Pligganease]

[shifter2009]

[harlowethrombey]

All the beef tastes the same after Lotteria finishes frying it in grease.

[jotgarden]

They can't fit it all in their tiny mouths!

[Ilsanman]

Because it is infinitely better than Korean beef. It's sour grapes, really.