Seoul, protest continues: 1,700 organisations against meat from U.S.
Seoul (AsiaNews) – There is no sign that protests are dying down among the Korean population, against the agreement on imports of American beef drafted by the new government headed by the conservative Lee Myung-bak. More than 1,700 civilian groups took to the streets today to protest against the details of the agreement, which "could destroy part of the domestic economy, and endanger the health of meat consumers".
The demonstration was held in front of the offices of the agriculure ministry, but a number of other protests were held throughout the week all over the nation. The groups decided to present a petition to the constitutional court: the pact with the United States, they maintain, "violates the public’s right to health and happiness". The demonstrators are also asking the four opposition parties - including the United Democratic Party, which suffered a severe defeat in the last legislative elections - to meet to prepare the draft of a law that would ban the importing of American meat.
Lee Myung-bak signed the pact during his first official visit to the United States, which took place last month. Kim Eun-joo - promoter of an online petition against the decision, which has already collected more than 100,000 signatures - explains: "The treaty is unjust because it endangers the health of my fellow citizens. It does not mention safety controls, and permits any kind of meat to be exported to our country. This is absurd, if one considers the epidemic of mad cow disease that repeatedly infects American beef".
The dissatisfaction of Korean ranchers must also be noted. These, explain their labour union representative, "feel seriously threatened by an agreement that, in fact, crushes their chances of survival in the free market. They cannot compete against an enormous quantity of beef imported tax-free, not when they have so little to offer on their part".
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