|
Korean-American organizations in New York, Washington and Los Angeles on Monday expressed concern about a health scare surrounding American beef in South Korea. Korean-Americans, who on the whole consume more beef than average Koreans, said they don't understand why a demagogic slogan such as "I'd rather swallow potassium cyanide than eat American beef" has persuasive powers in their motherland.
In a press conference, four Korean-American organizations in the Washington, D.C. area, including the Korean Society of Maryland and the Korean American Association of Washington Metropolitan Area, said rumors about mad cow disease are either unfounded or exaggerated.
"Some anti-American people and those with insidious political purposes are misleading the public that the U.S. is exporting low-quality food which Americans don't eat,¡± they said. This was ¡°a shameless act by those who care only about their own beliefs or interests."
In a similar press conference, Los Angeles groups such as the Korean American Federation of Los Angeles, the Korean Restaurants Association, and the Korean American Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles urged South Koreans to remain cool-headed. "There is no 100 percent safe food in the world. But American beef is more thoroughly managed than anywhere else,¡± they claimed.
KACCLA president Lee Chang-yup said, "I'm not going to speak for the U.S., but I'd like to say that you don't have to worry much about" American beef "because we trust the American public health system."
Kang Nam-jung, the owner of a restaurant in Fairfax County, Virginia said, "I've been operating a restaurant and catering business in the U.S. for 26 years. I'm concerned about increasing beef prices in the wake of the U.S. decision to export beef to Korea. Frankly, prices will be stabilized and my business will perform fine if American beef is not exported. I can't understand what's happening in Korea now."
Kim Won-ho, the owner of Warner Meat, a large-scale meat wholesaler equipped with its own slaughter facilities in New York, said, "It's wrong to say that the U.S. will export beef that is different from that intended for domestic consumption to Korea. The U.S. also imports beef to make up for its supply shortage. But it is enthusiastic about exporting the meat considering that each importing country has its own preference for beef parts. Be it for domestic consumption or for export, beef is cut from cattle after undergoing identical slaughter processes."
Some Korean-Americans were aggrieved at a tendency in Korea to view American beef as the carrier of mad cow disease. A Korean customer at a restaurant in Annandale, Virginia frequented by many Korean Americans said, "Does it make sense that the same beef we eat here is regarded by Koreans as the carrier of mad cow disease?" An employee of the restaurant said, "We've cooked here with beef certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 15 years, but we've never worried about mad cow disease."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
|
