South Korea Acts Up Again

You might remember my rant about <a href="http://nowherethoughts.net/sarpysam/archives/2252-South-Koreas-Trade-Barrier.html">South Korea's unofficial, official</a> trade barrier to US Beef. Well I see South Korea has again threw up it's unofficial, official trade barrier for the world to see.<br />n<br />n<a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/12/06/asia/AS_GEN_SKorea_US_Beef.php" >South Korea says banned bone pieces found in third U.S. beef shipment</a><br />n<br />n<blockquote>South Korea said Wednesday it has found banned bone pieces in a third shipment of U.S. beef and will suspend imports from the U.S. slaughterhouse that processed the meat.<br />n<br />nSouth Korea, formerly the third-largest foreign market for American beef, had banned U.S. beef for almost three years over fears of mad cow disease. It agreed in September to resume imports on condition that they contain only boneless meat following concerns that some material in bones could be dangerous to consume.</blockquote><br />n<br />nRead a little further and it gets very interesting. They found 7 bone pieces ranging in size from .12 inches to .39 inches in 10.2 tons of meat. Let me repeat that last part, 10.2 tons of meat. <br />n<br />nThey really had to be wanting to reject this shipment to comb through it that fine to find such small pieces. This is just proof positive that they don't want to open their markets to US Beef. They just want to say their market is open, while turning back all shipments, to enhance their chance of a free trade agreement with the US. The ploy is becoming way to obvious. Hell, even U.S. Ag Secretary Mike Johanns says <a href="http://www.brownfieldnetwork.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=59BE5DE3-D32C-3F3D-46FA77104F21BA2B">that he is considering a WTO case</a> on the issue. <br />n<br />nPeople would have to be crazy to try to ship and beef into South Korea at this point. I know that is South Korea's goal and it has worked. It's hurt their chances of a FTA. You win some, you lose some. <br />n<br />n<strong>In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery? Saint Augustine</strong>