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DP lawmakers vow to stop expanded rice, beef imports 'by any means necessary' at U.S. embassy protest

Published: 30 Jul. 2025, 17:29

Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers and officials hold a press conference in front of the U.S. Embassy in Jongno District, central Seoul, on July 30 to protest Washington’s demand for greater market access for U.S. agricultural products. [YONHAP]

Chants condemning Washington’s demand to expand agricultural and livestock imports rang out in front of the U.S. Embassy in Gwanghwamun, central Seoul, on Wednesday, just two days before the deadline to suspend "reciprocal" tariffs between Korea and the United States.

Lawmakers from the liberal Democratic Party (DP) on the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee held a press conference at the embassy to denounce the U.S. demands and called on the Korean government to “exclude food security from trade negotiations” and to oppose “the expansion of agricultural imports.”

The Korean government dispatched Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol to the United States for urgent trade negotiations on Tuesday.

“Using trade negotiations as a pretext, the United States is asking for rice, beef, apples and more,” said DP Rep. Shin Jeong-hoon, who chairs the parliamentary committee. “The Korean government, for its part, is talking about ‘strategic decisions,’ but Korean agriculture is not a dry towel to be wrung out.

“Asking our farmers to yield more is tantamount to violence,” he said. “The U.S. demands are a serious threat to our food sovereignty, the livelihoods of our farmers and the health of our citizens.”

U.S. rice exports and beef over 30 months of age are reportedly among the key items being discussed in the ongoing trade talks. The Korean government had previously drawn a clear “red line” on opening up the agricultural sector.

However, Woo Sang-ho, political affairs secretary, recently said the government would “minimize concessions as much as possible while seeking to protect domestic industries,” suggesting a more flexible stance.

Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Chun Jae-soo delivers opening remarks at a full session of the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Oceans and Fisheries Committee in Yeouido, western Seoul, on July 29. [NEWS1]

“Korea is already one of the largest importers of U.S. agricultural products in the world,” said DP lawmaker Yoon Joon-byeong. “And yet the U.S. wants us to import even more? That’s nothing short of bullying.”

“We’ve been liberalizing our agriculture market for over 30 years,” said Yoon. “Enough is enough.”

DP lawmaker Moon Dae-lim also weighed in, criticizing the “violent and unilateral trade pressure” of the Trump administration, which he said “threatens the sustainability of Korea’s rural communities, which are the foundation of the people’s livelihoods.” He vowed that the DP would resist “with our whole bodies.”

DP lawmakers on the parliamentary agriculture committee attempted to deliver a protest letter directly to the U.S. Embassy on Wednesday, but due to objections over the method of delivery by the embassy, they instead sent it by mail and email.

The lawmakers argue that expanding agricultural imports would weaken the competitiveness of Korea’s domestic industry and harm public health.

Korean Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, left, greets U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for a tariff meeting in Washington, on July 25. [NEWS1]

Speaking to the JoongAng Ilbo, one DP lawmaker noted that U.S. cattle over 30 months old, currently under discussion, was the same type of beef that was the center of Korea’s 2008 mad cow disease scare.

“Before any trade negotiations, we need to review the issue from a quarantine and safety perspective,” the lawmaker said.

A DP representative from South Jeolla said, “We have to block the import liberalization of agricultural products by any means necessary — leveraging the public’s concerns over mad cow disease, for instance.”

Another committee source said U.S. beef over 30 months old is typically imported in processed forms such as hamburger patties and sometimes undergoes processing in the United States before being shipped to Korea, which raises additional concerns over safety.

DP lawmakers have also conveyed their concerns to the Office of Trade Negotiations via the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

Regarding the lawmakers’ protest, the DP’s floor leadership said it was difficult for the party as a whole to take a unified position while negotiations are ongoing.

“We can’t speak for the entire party, but it’s inevitable for committee-level lawmakers to act individually,” said DP Deputy Floor Leader Moon Jin-seog on Wednesday.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY JO SU-BIN [[email protected]]