[KS] candlelight demonstrations in Korea and the beef deal issue

[don kirk]

Not sure this comment went out properly as don't see it coming back on Korean Studies Discussion List. It's written in response to Scott's comments and also to Alice Kim, below. Wd simply add, re her remarks, that articles in Yonhap and WashPost were news reports, quoting sources, not evidence. Shd repeat, the critical factor in Mad Cow disease seems to have been use use of ground feed from animals, including cows, thus turning cows into cannibals. That stuff hasn't been used as feed in UK since cases in people were diagnosed there and such feed was found to have been common denominator. Not sure if it ever was used as feed in U.S. Anyway, not in past few years..
Regards,
Don Kirk:
Re 30-month-old beef, am told approx 20 percent of beef sold in U.S. is from cattle more than 30 months old. This beef is used for hamburgers, in case anyone wonders what on offer at Burger King and McDonald's. The beef agreement with Korea specifically excludes parts of animals viewed as borderline, eg. vertebrae. Re lax U.S. standards, no case of Mad Cow disease yet reported in a person in U.S. Believe more than 100 reported in UK before all feed made from other animals was removed from diet.....Such feed is also banned in U.S.....Re the "downer" animal in the infamous video, Mad Cow disease was discovered in one "downer" cow in Washington State in December 2003....That cow was not slaughtered for beef. In fact, all "downer" cows must be tested, and no "downer" cow can be slaughtered for beef  regardless of outcome of testing. Let's hope there are no exceptions or violations.
Don Kirk

----- Original Message ----
From: J.Scott Burgeson <jsburgeson at yahoo.com>
To: koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws
Sent: Monday, June 9, 2008 1:45:11 AM
Subject: Re: [KS] candlelight demonstrations in Korea and the beef deal issue

1. `While cows 30 months of age and older at the time of slaughter are in general not allowed to be sold for food consumption in the US and elsewhere, the agreement between the US and South Korean government included the import of beef from cattle over 30 months old.`

Q:　Can you provide a reliable and up-to-date source for the first part of this statement? I have read elsewhere that beef over 30 months old is widely used esp. for hamburger meat in the US. 

2. `A video of a cow in the US that was unable to walk but was passed as acceptable to be slaughtered and its beef included in the human food supply was distributed on the Internet by netizens.`

Vague attribution. What was the source of this video? MBC`s PD Such`op? And did that cow actually have BSE (I have heard otherwise)? Please provide a clear reference if possible.

                        *  *  *  *  *

Your article implies that there is insufficient democracy in South Korea but does not really explain why so few people chose to participate in the Presidential election of Dec. 2007 and thereby register their democratic will at the institutional level. Political apathy is distinct from lack of democracy. One might also note that the GNP won a majority of seats in Parliament in April, yet your article does not account for this phenomenon either (beyond perhaps objecting to it on ideological grounds). Up until recently the Korean electorate was seemingly conservative, which again is distinct from lack of democracy.

ChoJoongDong have their biases but many of the left-leaning sources you site approvingly in your article have their biases as well, which renders the persuasiveness of your analysis somewhat less than it might otherwise be.
  
--Scott Bug



----- Original Message ----
From: Alice S. Kim <kim.alice.s at gmail.com>
To: jsburgeson at yahoo.com; Korean Studies Discussion List <koreanstudies at koreaweb.ws>
Sent: Monday, June 9, 2008 12:47:38 PM
Subject: Re: [KS] candlelight demonstrations in Korea and the beef deal issue

Correction: The following is the correct url for the last url I  
referenced in my previous email.

http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/!ut/p/_s.7_0_A/7_0_1OB?entqr=0&sort=date%3AD%3AL%3Ad1&ie=UTF-8&mode=simple&q=beef+30+months&num=10&ud=1&oe=UTF-8&navid=SEARCH&start=0

Alice S. Kim


On Jun 9, 2008, at 5:45 PM, J.Scott Burgeson wrote:

> 1. `While cows 30 months of age and older at the time of slaughter  
> are in general not allowed to be sold for food consumption in the US  
> and elsewhere, the agreement between the US and South Korean  
> government included the import of beef from cattle over 30 months  
> old.`
>
> Q:　Can you provide a reliable and up-to-date source for the first  
> part of this statement? I have read elsewhere that beef over 30  
> months old is widely used esp. for hamburger meat in the US.
>
> 2. `A video of a cow in the US that was unable to walk but was  
> passed as acceptable to be slaughtered and its beef included in the  
> human food supply was distributed on the Internet by netizens.`
>
> Vague attribution. What was the source of this video? MBC`s PD  
> Such`op? And did that cow actually have BSE (I have heard  
> otherwise)? Please provide a clear reference if possible.
>
>                        *  *  *  *  *
>
> Your article implies that there is insufficient democracy in South  
> Korea but does not really explain why so few people chose to  
> participate in the Presidential election of Dec. 2007 and thereby  
> register their democratic will at the institutional level. Political  
> apathy is distinct from lack of democracy. One might also note that  
> the GNP won a majority of seats in Parliament in April, yet your  
> article does not account for this phenomenon either (beyond perhaps  
> objecting to it on ideological grounds). Up until recently the  
> Korean electorate was seemingly conservative, which again is  
> distinct from lack of democracy.
>
> ChoJoongDong have their biases but many of the left-leaning sources  
> you site approvingly in your article have their biases as well,  
> which renders the persuasiveness of your analysis somewhat less than  
> it might otherwise be.
>
> --Scott Bug
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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