The United States and South Korea reached a final agreement not to allow additional imports of U.S. rice and beef in trade negotiations, but concerns are growing in the agricultural sector as the possibility of expedited quarantine procedures for U.S. apples and genetically modified organism (GMO) potatoes has been raised. Furthermore, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that "we agreed to completely open the agricultural sector," leading to discrepancies in the announcements from both countries regarding the opening of rice and beef.
According to the Presidential Office and the Ministry of Economy and Finance on the 31st, the two countries agreed to exclude the opening of rice and beef, which had been identified as the biggest sticking points in trade negotiations. Kim Yong-beom, the Deputy Minister at the Presidential Office, stated during a briefing that "it is true that the U.S. strongly demanded the opening of agricultural and livestock products," but emphasized, "Considering food security and sensitivity, it was concluded that there will be no additional opening of rice and beef."
However, on the 30th (local time), President Trump asserted on his social media platform, Truth Social, that "South Korea agreed to completely open trade with the United States, including accepting U.S. products such as cars, trucks, and agricultural goods."
In this regard, Kim noted, "I understand President Trump's remarks as expressions of a political leader," adding that "the important thing is the discussions among the ministers responsible for the negotiations, and there has been no specific agreement reached regarding agricultural and livestock products." He further stated, "The U.S. is one of only three countries in the world that imposes a 30-month age limit on beef imports. We emphasized that Korea is the top importer of U.S. beef," indicating that "of course, there would have been heated exchanges, and when discussions were taking place within our government, there were also heated exchanges among ministries."
◇ Will quarantine 'speed war' become a reality... concerns of an effective 'opening signal'
During this negotiation, the two countries agreed to discuss easing quarantine and technical barriers instead of market openings, leading to interpretations that the possibility of imports for certain items might increase. Deputy Minister Koo Yun-cheol explained that "President Trump showed great interest in quarantine procedures for surplus vegetables and that we decided to continue technical consultations moving forward."
As the government officially mentioned improvements in quarantine procedures, there are projections that the clearance speeds for items currently undergoing quarantine, such as apples, blueberries, and GMO potatoes, could accelerate. Apples have been stuck in the second phase of quarantine since the U.S. request for import 30 years ago, and potatoes received a 'suitable' judgment from the Rural Development Administration regarding GMO potatoes from the U.S. Simplot in March.
The quarantine process is carried out through an 8-step process called 'Import Risk Analysis (IRA)'. This evaluates biological risk factors such as pest introductions and establishes quarantine conditions that can minimize these risks. Typically taking over eight years, there is also a possibility that the process could be expedited under political pressure.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs asserted that "quarantine is a matter conducted according to scientific procedures," but the industry views this as effectively a step towards allowing imports. The Korea Apple Association held a rally outside the Sejong Government Complex opposing the import of U.S. apples, stating, "The import of apples cannot be approached from a short-term price logic," and criticized that "easing quarantine will become a signal for a chain of market openings."
◇ The government citing political sensitivity… is quarantine easing a separate track?
It is reported that the government focused on persuasion, emphasizing domestic political and social sensitivities regarding the U.S. side's strong demands for agricultural product openings during this negotiation. The negotiation team prepared photos from candlelight vigils during the mad cow disease crisis in 2008 to show the U.S. side as part of their persuasion efforts.
Minister Kim Jeong-kwan of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated, "Isn't there a photo from when more than a million people gathered during the mad cow disease crisis? We prepared that photo and showed it to the U.S.," adding, "I believe that helped greatly in making the U.S. understand the situation in Korea."
Even though the opening of rice and beef has been blocked, the agricultural sector's concerns have not entirely been alleviated. Concerns have been raised that quarantine discussions could hasten the controversy surrounding non-tariff barriers.
Professor Lim Jeong-bin of Seoul National University's Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology stated, "It was the right decision to block the opening demands for sensitive items like rice and beef," but noted, "The possibility of expedited quarantine procedures for items like apples, potatoes, and blueberries, which the U.S. has raised complaints about, has increased."
He expressed concerns that "the U.S. has long claimed that several countries, including Korea, have utilized quarantine as a non-tariff barrier to delay the import of U.S. agricultural and livestock products, and this discontent may have been partially reflected this time," stating that "in the past, imports were allowed after a phased procedure, but moving forward, that process could be compressed significantly, potentially becoming burdensome from the importing country's perspective."