EcoWorldly

In Seoul, South Korea, this past Friday 10,000 people took to the streets in a candle light vigil to oppose US beef imports that many fear may be tainted with mad cow disease. Overnight, the number of peaceful protesters doubled and by Saturday night, 20,000 - 25,000 South Koreans held candles and raised their voices against American beef imports.

I joined the protests on Saturday to learn more.

• » Read more on Korea

The demonstrations targeted South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, self-declared “CEO of the Korea, Inc.,” who recently met with US President Bush to swallow a $20 billion free trade deal. The deal pivoted on South Korea’s consent to vastly increase US beef imports at the expense of its farmers and against the will of its citizens.

But South Koreans fear that mad cow disease has not been eradicated in the US. In particular, many point out that mad cow disease can remain dormant for decades in humans who have eaten tainted meat.

Many of the protesters this weekend were women who were extremely upset that in years to come their children might pay with their lives for President Lee’s kowtowing to US export interests.

Not only does the opening of Korean markets to US beef have South Koreans feeling worried for health safety reasons. It will also starve out South Korean beef farmers, who have led separate demonstrations across Korea against importing US beef.

The US-Korea deal will also badly damage the Australian cattle industry, which had more than doubled exports to South Korea since 2003, when concerns over mad cow disease caused a drop in US beef imports to the country.

Lastly, many South Koreans point out with alarm that beef products from US cattle older than 30 months, which are at particular risk for mad cow disease and which are generally not eaten in the United States, will make their way to Korean dinner tables.

One of the most remarkable aspects of the demonstration was how tidy, peaceful, and well organized it was. Although at least a dozen caged police buses waited on the nearby street, police action was entirely unnecessary. Volunteers kept demonstrators under control and peaceful.

Even more noteably, after the candlelight demonstration concluded, volunteers cleaned up the trash that had gathered on the street. I even saw dozens of volunteers scraping the melted wax that had dripped from candles off of the sidewalk. It was perhaps the most responsibly orchestrated demonstration I have ever witnessed.

Information source: Reuters

Photo, video credit: Gavin Hudson, EcoWorldly

You might also like:

Silkworms: an Environmentally Friendly Delicacy?

Koreans Head to the Mountains for Fall Colors and Fried Grasshoppers

Korean Women Say Birth Control is ‘Men’s Responsibility’

South Korean Islanders Ask ‘Who Owns the Wind?’