07/28/06 Korea Opens Up...A Bit

Korea Opens Market..a Bit. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report. Korea is in the midst of making some very big changes in its rice policy. The Director of the U.S. Agricultural Trade Office in Seoul, Korea Stanley Phillips, talking about how Korea is ready to start opening its rice market a little bit. PHILLIPS: Because a lot of Koreans are reaching the conclusion that trade liberalization is inevitable for Korea. Korea is a country that has built its economy over the past 50 years on exporting. When we talk about Korean cars and computers and cell phones, that's really the crux of Korean economy. So they realize that it's in the interest of Korea to liberalize trade and as part of that accepting liberalization in the agricultural sector is essentially inevitable. But while the rice market may be opening, the U.S. and Korea have not yet solved their different concerns when it comes to beef trade. The U.S. Agricultural Attache to Korea, Susan Phillips talks about the U.S. concern over beef trade if Korea resumes importing U.S. beef. PHILLIPS: So we're working with them to help address those concerns. In the mean time we are also concerned; the United States is also concerned that there is nothing in the protocol to address the issue of bone fragments and what will happen when Korea finds bone fragments. Will they follow the Hong Kong pattern and de-list the plant or will they follow the Japanese pattern and de-list the whole country. So we are very concerned about those issues and we won't move forward until we have those addressed. Now here's today's Washington Grange. (GRANGE) That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.