South Korea's Mad Cow Protest Has Ignited Larger Political Effort
The “mad cow” protests mask a strong mistrust of Mr Lee and his plans to revive the economy. For theThat was from South Korean Government of Lee Myung Bak in meltdown,past six weeks he has faced widespread protests over plans to restart imports of American beef, suspended five years ago amid concerns over BSE. The vehemence of recent protests last month was enough to delay Mr Lee’s plans to begin US beef imports, which are now being tweaked to make them appear more acceptable. The restarting of beef imports is part of a wider free-trade agreement struck between Seoul and Washington in the last days of Mr Lee’s now widely despised predecessor, Roh Moo Hyun.
UK Times Online
June 11, 2008
It makes as much sense as anything we've read about the evolving protests against U.S. beef over Mad Cow disease that last night put 80,000 into the streets of the South Korean capital. Police used shipping containers to block off streets and keep the potential riot away from the President Lee's residence.
Korean demonstrators try to topple the new government, that seems to be very poor judgment. The mad cow business is a trade issue. A negotiation could resolve the differences as other nations are doing so. If Koreans hate their own government, their negotiator could not do very effective work for their own country. If you contempt your own government, why Americans would bother to help the senseless people.
Give a chance and time to the new government to do creative work for the people. Now the ghost of the mad cow is doing very destructive work to the Koreans. The demonstrators have a good friend, mad cow to destroy their society. Is that a Korean brain?
Mad cows seems to be smarter than Koreans and stronger than Koreans. Give a chance to to the government. Demonstration or opposition leaders could do better. Mad cow is still mad who knows very well about Koreans that there are many crooks and stupits. It is our world, mad cow world, let occupy Korea!!.
The candle light demonstrators are going to continue the anti beef march, eventually “Don’t eat American beef.” The demonstrators should know that Americans eat beef every day without mad cow disease yet. You think that you can stop buying American beef in anti American sentiment. If you want to have trade war with America, you will fail because Americans would have more choice of the made in Korea goods, such as cell phone, Samsung TV, radio, computer, etc. You can reject one item of American good, beef. But Koreans will lose a market which would enhance of Korean economic decline.
You hate Americans. Who would love you Koreans? Russians, Chinese or Japanese. Even if they do, they could not feed you beef or pork.
You shook up the new Korean government. Communists and mad cow ghosts have immensely damaged South Korea. President Lee seems to be very weak, showing just gentleness. If they disorient Korean society, the communists could walk down to South. If civilian government weakens, the military would worry so much of their lives that they might act to take over the government.
If the demonstrators, anti government elements continue to disturb the social order, President Lee should mobilize the military to control the mobs. Otherwise the military might take action in order to save their lives and South Korean society.
Once people thought the communists could bring a workers paradise, but the world knows it absolutely failed. If anyone thinks Kim Jong Il would bring his own paradise to South, he is absolutely empty headed. There is no mad cow in America but in the empty Korean heads.
You can refuse to buy American beef, but you can not weaken the government. The weak Korean government would not help the 6 nation de-nuclearization conference.
If South Korea loses American market, do you think Russians could help you?
If you continue to demonstrate to destroy law and order of South, the president should declare a marshal law and send pro communists to North Korean workers’ paradise.
I hope that they would understand the situation of South is very dangerous now.
Korea must stop the protest now....
and Think about the right way of importing beef...not political thing any more...
Maybe that's the best way that can break through this situation...
Why are South Koreans protesting mad cow disease? We do not have mad cow disease here in the US. We are eating beef freely, daily -- steaks, hamburgers, you name it. Has there been even one instance of mad cow disease in beef exported to South Korea? Is this controversy not a "red herring" designed to stir up anti-American feeling, but totally without basis?