Last Thursday, Prime Minister Han Seung-soo in a televised statement said the government’s utmost priority is protecting citizens' health. In a statement Monday, USTR Ambassador Susan Schwab said, "The United States accepts and supports the prime minister's statement and would not ask for anything different."

"The GATT and the WTO SPS Agreement preserve each country's sovereignty so that every government can ensure the safety of its citizens, and that includes food safety," Schwab said. "The United States recognizes that Article 20 of the GATT preserves Korea's right to take measures necessary to protect public health, so long as the requirements of that article are met."

Under the deal, Korea had agreed not to suspend imports unilaterally even if a new case of BSE is found in the U.S. until the world organization for animal health (OIE) downgrades its safety rating for American cattle. Schwab’s remarks seem to acknowledge the futility of that clause.

In a meeting at Cheong Wa Dae on Tuesday, President Lee Myung-bak told the Cabinet about the U.S. decision. He said some people had predicted it would be difficult to implement the government's decision due to fears of a trade dispute. "Now that the U.S. government has accepted our decision, everything is all right,” he added.

Lee continued, "The government should be in perfect communication with the people before and after it handles public health and food safety. But regrettably, I have to admit that the government's communication with the people has been unsatisfactory." It was an apparent admission that the government could have done better to keep the public fully informed and seek their understanding.

In a hearing on the Korea-U.S. free trade deal organized by the National Assembly's Unification, Foreign Affairs and Trade Committee Tuesday, Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon said it is unreasonable to push for renegotiations under pressure of the public opinion. "It's difficult to conduct renegotiations unless there is any scientific justification or discovery that can upset existing international standards,” he said.

The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, meanwhile, said it will promulgate new safety rules on American beef imports on Thursday as scheduled. Three opposition parties -- the United Democratic Party, Liberty Forward Party, and Democratic Labor Party -- agreed to hold a meeting of their chairmen and chief policy makers on Wednesday morning, after which they are expected to file a petition against the beef deal with the Constitutional Court, and ask the court to suspend the promulgation.

(englishnews@chosun.com )