The US on Friday accused South Korea of souring the atmosphere of negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement by banning a second shipment of US beef imports in one month.
"It's unfortunate that Korea continues to aggressively press its unscientific ban on US beef with another round of free trade talks just days away," said Senator Max Baucus, the ranking Democrat on the powerful Senate finance committee.
The fifth round of free trade talks between the two states is scheduled from tomorrow to Friday at the Big Sky Resort in Baucus's Montana constituency, a major beef producing state.
Baucus criticized South Korea's latest rejection of US beef shipments on Friday, saying progress must be made at the trade talks "to end Korea's unscientific ban on perfectly safe boneless and bone-in beef and offals from the US."
South Korea banned the second shipment of US beef in one month after a small piece of bone was found in the consignment in violation of a bilateral agreement in January that allowed imports of US beef to resume.
South Korea, once the world's third-largest buyer of US beef, agreed to import only boneless meat from the US under the deal that ended a three-year ban following an outbreak of mad cow disease in the Asian nation.
Both the first two shipments of US beef were rejected on hygiene grounds and a third shipment of 10 tonnes of US beef, packed in Iowa, was awaiting quarantine inspections.
US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns has harshly criticized South Korea for banning the beef shipment, saying South Korean authorities had "invented" a standard for imports that the US did not agree to.
But Kang Mun-il, chief of South Korea's National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, said Seoul was applying international standards.
Baucus, scheduled to meet trade negotiators from the two countries this weekend ahead of the free trade talks, said that he would urge South Korea to open its market "fully to all US beef" and to address other outstanding issues, including access to South Korea's market for US cars.
"According to international standards, Korea should be accepting bone-in beef and offals as well as boneless US beef right now, and they should move to take that step in Montana," said Baucus, a long-time advocate for a free trade agreement with South Korea.
While beef and many other topics tackled over the next week will be sensitive for both sides, Baucus said "time is running out on these negotiations, and we need big breakthroughs in this Big Sky round."
US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said on Friday that Washington was "eager to make progress in narrowing differences with their Korean counterparts" at the talks.
"A comprehensive and balanced free trade agreement will benefit both the United States and Korea," she said in a statement.
RSS