Resumption of the US Beef Exports to South Korea - Case Study Example

Name Article (Business) 28 May 2008 Resumption of U.S. Beef Exports to South Korea In the contemporary globalized world scenario that is literally run by the professional collection and dissemination of information, the impact of media and news reports on international relations and current standards of historiography is often grossly underestimated. Media does have an important role to play in the national and international issues pertaining to the domain in which it operates (University of Washington, 2007). The advent of online publications has further augmented the potential interference of news reports on the direction in which the cardinal issues pertaining to a state or many states may deviate. This modern phenomenon raises the doubts whether the media houses are as unbiased and impartial in their approach as they are expected to be in the text books? Should or can the 21st century historians rely on the credibility of coverage by the old and new media? Resumption of U.S. beef exports to South Korea Till 2003 South Korea happened to be the largest export market for the U.S. beef that stood at almost $790 million. Almost 75% of the South Korean beef requirements were met by the exports from the U.S. However the import of beef from the U.S. was discontinued by the South Korean government after the detection of a case of mad cow disease in Washington. This ban came at a time when the American Congress was in the process of granting ratification to a Free Trade Agreement between the U.S. and the South Korea. Considering the massive losses incurred by the American meat exporters, the U.S. congress imposed many hurdles in the process of ratifying the impending Free Trade Agreement between these two nations. After an exhaustive session of talks between the trade and agriculture department of the two countries, the South Korean president agreed to a qualified resumption of the beef imports from the U.S. Off course this Korean gesture is expected to have a salubrious impact on the trade relations between the two countries. The fundamental limitations and realities faced by the political leadership in both the countries in the context of this issue do deserve to be mentioned clearly. The current president of South Korea i.e. Lee Myung-bak is a conservative who favors economic liberalization. He came to power on the promise of further opening up the Korean economy and exposing the country to more foreign competition. Hence to deliver his promise of reviving the South Korean economy, it is imperative for him to mend trade relations with the U.S. The Korean people are an undeniable and integral factor, imperative for the resolution of this issue. Despite all the propaganda unleashed by both the sides, the main fact is that the Korean people do have a genuine fear of becoming victims to the contaminated beef being imported from the U.S. Though it is a different thing that their genuine fears are being flared up out of proportion, by the vested interests. False news accounts, suspicious media broadcasts and internet circulated rumors have done much to foment the anti-American angst of the Korean people. The leftists and the political opponents of president Lee are using it as a tool to exploit the feelings of Korean people. The need of the hour is that U.S. beef exporters should take the initiative to educate and inform the Korean people about the safety of their products. This issue was covered by the news media all over the world. It will be really interesting to unearth the anomalies and biases reflected in the coverage of various international media groups that is expected to have a major impact in the distortion and production of contemporary historiography. In ‘U.S., South Korea Announce Deal to End Ban on U.S. Beef Exports, Greg Hitt of the Wall Street Journal labors out of proportion on the political compulsions of president Lee. No where does this article touches upon the fundamental duty of the American beef exporters to assure the good quality of their products. More then required stress has been given on the problems being faced by the American ranchers and that too at the cost of ignoring the genuine and rational health concerns of the Korean masses. Off course, the U.S. beef lobby has been given a special say in the article under consideration. This article has definitely been composed from a typically U.S. perspective. No where, the writer has attempted to present an insight into the Korean point of view. In an article titled ‘South Korea lifts ban on U.S. beef’ published in the International Herald Tribune, undue stress was given on the possible impact of the resumption of beef exports from the U.S. on the South Korean economy (Sang-Hun, 2008). The article seemed to convey that it were only the South Koreans who were to gain from these resumptions. It miserably failed to highlight the benefits expected by the U.S. in this deal. In a tacit way, the concerned scribe intended to overplay on the possible desire of achieving trade benefits by Korea, thus making it appear a one sided deal. The fact is that this issue was a major hurdle in the process of streamlining the trade relations between both the countries. The intentions of this article definitely intended to be U.S. centric. It only reflects the American side of the issue. The newspaper tried to underplay the fact that South Korea being a major importer of beef has a sovereign right to import uncontaminated food products from the potential exporters, thus compromising on the health concerns of the South Koreans. It tactfully evaded the fact about the problems with the substandard beef in the domestic market. No where it tried to mention about the recent recall of the meat products packaged by Hallmark/Westland Meat Packaging Company owing to faulty procedures followed by the company. A blunt attempt was made to tag the issue of North Korea with the trade concessions expected from the South Koreans. The article totally failed to give any meaningful insight into the South Korean point of view and concerns. The way the issue of U.S. beef exports has been dealt with by the Western Media unravels the tendency of the developed economies to suggest a diluted version of health standards for Asia, by ignoring its concerns and commitments towards its residents. A similar Eurocentric vision was carried forward in the news reports generated by the BBC (Duffin, 2008). In its article titled ‘Koreans Fight Free Trade Deal’, it profusely stressed on the Korean resistance to the free trade, without elaborating to the issue of contaminated meet products emanating from the U.S. or even Europe. The validated denial of beef products by South Korea is classified as a stand off. More then due coverage had been given to the losses incurred by the American ranchers. The concerned coverage seems to be advocating a bipartisan policy of health standards, one for the West, and a second, a bit downgraded one for Asia. The BBC coverage of this issue seems to side with the concerted U.S. attempt to pressurize South Korea on this issue by using the Western media. The Japan times though being an Asian publication, in its article titled ‘U.S. issues call to reopen beef market’ seems to validate the line being towed by the U.S (Kwan, 2008). The U.S. policy of branding the South Korean concerns as being unscientific has been given more then ample coverage. Infact this article pinpoints South Korea as a major hurdle to the current U.S. business interests. The relevant issue of the possible contamination of the beef products being produced by the U.S. fails to solicit any coverage in the entire article. Somewhere near the end, while laboring upon the possible resumption of beef imports by Korea, the paper staunchly advocates the stringent quality standards being practiced by Japan, so far as its beef exports from the U.S. are concerned. ‘US Beef Testing Method Raises Ire’ published by The Korea Times gives a better insight into the South Korean objective of procuring uncontaminated beef products for its people (Yon-se, 2008). It amply uncovers the legal hurdles being imposed by the U.S. cattle industry to place scientifically valid and comprehensive testing procedures for all the animals. Still the coverage of this issue by The Korean Times is more or less one sided in the sense that it fails to discuss the valid economic concerns of the U.S. administration. This paper also fails to unravel the havoc being let loss by false news, rumors and suspicious internet circulations in Korea. Conclusion A saner line of action would be that all the newspapers both in Asia and the West act with a sense of responsibility and strive towards giving their readers a broad insight into the concerned issue. Attempts should be made to explain the concerns and objections of both the nations with a detailed coverage of the political and economic compulsions being faced by the governments of both the countries. The media should strive for presenting a balanced version of this seemingly contentious issue that unravels the recidivist elements active on both the sides. All the views presented by the newspapers all over the world should be based on facts. The media people on both the sides should be emphatically aware of their role in the process of contemporary historiography. Facts should be presented in an unbiased way with due coverage given to the view points of both the sides. Attempt should be made not to give an exaggerated coverage to the unscrupulous vested interests on both the sides. The relevant political and economic compulsions of the governments of both the nations should be narrated without being sensationalized. Works Cited Communication and International Relations. 2007. University of Washington. 28 May 2008. Croft, Stuart. Images and Imaginings of Security. 28 May 2008. Duffin, Linda. Koreans fight free trade deal. 14 May 2008. BBC News. 28 May 2008. Hitt, Greg. “U.S., South Korea Announce Deal to End Ban on U.S. Beef Exports”. The Wall Street Journal 19 April 2008: A3 Kwan, Ton. US issues call to reopen beef markets. 20 April 2008. The Japan Times. 28 May 2008. Non state Actors. August 2007. National Intelligence Council. 28 May 2008 Sang, Hun. South Korea lifts ban on U.S. beef. 18 April 2008. International Herald Tribune. 28 May 2008. Yon-se, Kim. US Beef Testing Method Raising Ire. 12 May 2008. The Korea Times. 28 May 2008. Read More