Mad About Mad Cow
80,000 in Seoul, South Korea protest U.S. beef over mad cow disease: Would boycott work better?
What burgers are to the United States, a good marinade of galbi (barbecued beef) is to South Korea. (And man, does it taste good!)
Mad Cow Disease Scare
However, according to United Press International, the South Korean market closed its doors to U.S. beef imports after mad cow disease hit the U.S. in 2003. After a four year ban on imports, the cautious reopening of the South Korean market in 2007 to beef from the U.S. met reservations from the public. These reservations turned to outrage, however, after Lee Myung-bak agreed to resume U.S. beef imports without restriction during his golfing trip and fireside chat, er, “diplomatic” visit to Camp David in April.
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Eating beef is such an integral part of the culture here, it’s no wonder Lee Myung-bak’s deal with W. has sparked such massive protests. Since April, hundreds of thousands of protesters have increasingly taken to the streets with candlelight vigils and demonstrations. Last night alone, 80,000 protestors gathered in Seoul. Unfortunately, the increase in protests has also met an increase in violence between the South Korean riot police and potentially peaceful protestors.
A Nonviolent Protest
So, what’s a great way to protest U.S. beef imports without setting yourself on fire or getting kicked in the head by riot police?
Yup, doin’ it the Gandhi way.
In order to protest English imperialism over India, Gandhi developed what he called the Swadeshi (self-sufficiency) movement, the act of upsetting the economic base of an imperial power by boycotting their goods and supporting the purchase of local goods instead.
If Lee Myung-bak is so insistent on giving W.’s ol’ cattle boys club the millions of dollars a year they’re losing by not selling their beef to South Korea, you can hit all of them where it really hurts: at the bank.
Boycott Beef!
The great thing about boycotting beef is that not only will it really throw Lee Myung-bak and W. out for a loop on what to do (“Wait – do we really have to listen to the public?—I thought I was ‘the decider’.”), but also, it’s good for the environment.
According to Clark Williams-Derry at Grist.org, “if you’re looking for a single food choice that will help curb your climate impact, your best bet is to stay away from cows!”
The good thing is that boycotting beef in order to get your point across about U.S. beef imports doesn’t have to upset the business of local BBQ owners: If you still want to eat meat, all you have to do is order dwaji galbi (barbecued pork)!
References and Resources:
“South Korea reopens market to U.S. beef”| United Press International
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2008/04/18/South_Korea_reopens_market_to_US_beef/UPI-32731208532069/
“Feeding Climate Change” | Grist.org
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2008/6/4/194419/4912
“S. Korea: 80,000 protest new US beef import accord” | The Associated Press
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gliEd1Bi_qB68ysYSDK2b_vze2ygD9179H4GD
Swadeshi movement | Wikipedia.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swadeshi_movement
Gandhi’s Swadeshi - The Economics of Permanence | Satish Kumar
http://squat.net/caravan/ICC-en/Krrs-en/ghandi-econ-en.htm
The US should retaliate by boycotting South Korean products.
Thank you for your feedback, Sara. I thought it would be important to emphasize here that South Korea is not boycotting products from the United States.
The suggestion to boycott beef from the United States was my suggestion as a form of nonviolent protest regarding the issue at hand.
Whether from South Korea or in the United States itsself, boycotting beef (especially from large beef corporations) could potentially be beneficial not only for your health, but also for the environment. With regard to the recent political climate here South Korea in relation to the agreement between Lee Myung-bak and Bush, there is a special case where it might be a good form of protest for this specific issue.
If you’re interested in learning more about the problems with the United States beef industry, I highly recommend reading Skinny Bitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Freedman and Barnouin present a very entertaining and informative background regarding the beef industry in the United States.
Beef with beef is really a scapegoat
Yesterday as you know around 200,000 people took to the streets of Seoul to protest the risks posed to them from consuming imported US Beef. Was this a call to action for heart healthy eating? No! If that were the case then their protest would be viewed more as HeartWalk (American Heart Association™), as opposed to a protest. The official story, was that the South Koreans were protesting the risk associated with Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE)… Mad Cow or Jack in the Box Disease.
Given the fact that the there have only been 3 documented cases of BSE in the United States since 1993, I was wondering why would the Koreans jump on the Mad Cow wagon….(I miss The Oregon Trail (Farmer from Ohio rules). It does not make economic sense for them to try to protect a tiny cattle industry. Due to the fact that we have a vastly greater amount of farm land, we undoubtedly have a comparative advantage when it comes to the Cattle Industry, and as such we are able to provide them low cost Beef for their Galbi delight. In other words they (as individual households) are benefiting from our Beef exports in the same way that we are benefiting from having our prices “rolled back ™” by buying their electronics LG & Samsung (all of my electronics).
Ok… now that you have sworn at me or… us.. or US …whatever … Why is this so odd. Why aren’t 200,000 US citizens protesting Smiley faces and rolled back prices. I mean I hate a tasteless Wal-mart banana as much as the next guy.
However, I, like 99% of the people in the US am wholly or for the most part self-interested. I buy what is the best deal for me, not for anyone else including Mother Earth. In the end I have no doubt that most Koreans are the same way. If the price of Beef soared rapidly as the price of all food is doing at a moderate pace… Koreans would be outraged and not just 200,000 of the most environmentally conscious, anti-US, and Nationalistic amongst them.
This rally/protest really was an attack on the pending US-S.Korean Free Trade Agreement which has not been ratified. Although, Lee Myung-bak’s party has a parliamentary majority for most of his term which runs until February 2013 -some- Koreans realize that they need to express their opinions now before the treaty is ratified.
Nonetheless,Korean domestic industries…(like dom industries in the United States) have to accept comparative advantage whether they want to or not. Not only does South Korea need the Free Trade Agreement with the United States to be ratified, they need to pursue further Free Trade agreements in order to counter China’s growing economic clout and ambition to control the economy of that entire hemisphere. If Korea does, and more so if it doesn’t keep growing China is coming. China is coming regardless…lets not kid ourselves.
As such, a 200,000 person showing of National Unity in the face of economic …hostility…… is a good sign for that country. In the face of coming pressure from big red brother.
Another good sign for those Koreans opposed to FTA’s is that the US Legislature and soon the Executive will be in control of the Democratic Party. Dem’s find FTA’s far less favorable and may take the FTA off the table. (I don’t entirely know Obama’s stance on FTA’s… so I will leave that discussion to her so as not to misquote …misinterpret or whateva. I am interested though.)
Anyhow, Koreans Beef is not with Beef it is with what that they feel are concessions to an evil power. Unfortunately…. their Protectionist sentiment is only going to hurt them in the long run. Their hearts are in the right place…Just like most Americans…who would like to be built Ford Tough … but inherent self-interest…MPG,less repair cost…Cheap Beef … whatever it may be will always trump the moral high road because we are all moral when it is most convenient and makes us feel good.
I am really fearful of a backlash against free trade worldwide…as we have seen in South America..and here— Asia. If the protectionist route is followed, newer, more efficient industries will have less scope to expand, and overall output and economic welfare will suffer.
In the words of Claude Frédéric Bastiat “When goods cannot cross borders, armies will.”
With the Population “Bomb” exploding I hope that those armies stop with Oil, and don’t ever move on to food. However, I am starting to feel that is inevitable …and hope I am long gone by that time. We… US Citizens…Korean citizens…shouldn’t plant the seeds for that to happen.
Michael Hardcastle
University of Toledo
College of Law 2010
Thanks for the article. Boycotts have been around for a long time and they can be effective.
My question to you Whitney is; are there enough resources there in Korea for the citizens to boycott effectively and still be self sufficient like you suggest?
I know very little about Korea.
Thanks again Whitney!
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[...] light vigil to oppose US beef imports that many fear may be tainted with mad cow disease or when a nation rises against a popularity dipped president Lee Myung-bak for agreeing to resume U.S. beef imports without [...]