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

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