Seoul makes its case: agriculture is politically sensitive, Korea tops US beef imports and the country's market is 99.7% open
In a dramatic conclusion to trade negotiations between South Korea and the US, the Korean government announced Thursday that it had secured a tariff cut from the originally proposed 25 percent to 15 percent without yielding to further opening of its agriculture and livestock markets.
Months of pressure from Washington centered on demands to lift Korea’s ban on beef from cattle over 30 months old and to expand rice imports.
“We have agreed not to further open Korea’s rice and beef markets, given the sensitivity of the issue for local farmers and concerns over food security,” said Kim Yong-beom, presidential chief of staff for policy, during a press briefing on Thursday.
“In response to the US argument that Korea is one of only three countries still imposing a 30-month age limit on beef imports, we made it clear that Korea is the largest importer of American beef,” Kim added.
“There were certainly heated exchanges, but the central focus was on fully accounting for the political sensitivity and historical weight surrounding agricultural and livestock products.”
Korea has restricted beef imports from the US since 2008, only allowing meat from cattle under 30 months old, as a measure intended to ease public fears over bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or mad cow disease.
According to Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo, who met with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Tuesday, Korean officials even showed their US counterparts photos of the 2008 candlelight protests in Korea over mad cow disease fears during the negotiation process.
When asked about US President Donald Trump’s remarks on Truth Social touting a fully “open to trade” deal that included agricultural goods, the presidential official sought to downplay the rhetoric.
“We understand that comment as the expression of a political leader,” Kim said. “What mattered were the discussions held with the ministers directly responsible for the negotiations, and in those talks, agriculture and livestock were never on the table.”
According to Kim, Korea’s agricultural sector is already 99.7 percent open, with only about ten items, roughly 0.3 percent, still protected.
In the months leading up to the deal, speculation grew that Korea might yield to US pressure to deepen access to its agricultural market, particularly after Japan agreed to expand access in its own trade negotiations with Washington.
The issue had long irked domestic farmers, who feared they would be made the “scapegoats” of the agreement if a deal came at their expense.
For now, farmers’ groups breathed a sigh of relief after the government sided with their demands.
“We welcome the government’s firm stance on protecting the agricultural market,” an official from a local farmers’ group said at a press briefing. “But we intend to closely examine the details of the agreement and remain attentive to any new demands that may emerge.”
The group noted that further negotiations are expected during President Lee Jae Myung’s scheduled meeting with President Trump in two weeks. They urged the Lee administration to stand firm against what they described as the Trump administration’s pressure tactics.
minmin@heraldcorp.com
