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Teachers aim to persuade students to leave beef protest
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, May 17 (Yonhap) -- Nearly 1,000 South Korean teachers were to gather in central Seoul Saturday in an attempt to convince students to leave a scheduled rally against Seoul's agreement with Washington to reopen the country's market to U.S. beef.
The move comes as several thousand South Koreans were expected to hold a candlelight vigil in the capital, brushing off a police warning that such protests are illegal.
Thousands of teenagers have been joining the rallies which began about two weeks ago, sparking concerns from parents and teachers who claim the media and political opponents of the beef deal are the main force behind the youth backlash.
"About 1,000 teachers in Seoul will attend the protest to send students home," the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education said in a press release. "Parents and teachers are not only concerned about the students' safety, but also about the fact that they are focusing on political events when they should be focusing on school work."
Following an April 18 agreement with Washington, imports of U.S. beef from cattle younger than 30 months old will soon resume for the first time in almost five years. If the U.S. implements tougher animal feed regulations, the age limit will eventually be removed altogether, a possibility that has aroused local anxiety over mad cow disease.
The South Korean government has said it will delay the local resumption of U.S. beef imports -- originally slated for May 15 -- by up to 10 days, but ruled out the possibility of renegotiating with Washington, citing international practices and faith between the two countries.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez urged quick implementation of the beef agreement during a press conference in Seoul Friday, emphasizing the safety of American beef.
Teenagers have been escalating objections to the U.S. beef imports, posting their criticism of the Lee Myung-bak government and expressing their resolve on Internet sites.
Students claim their move is voluntary, genuinely reflecting their mood and fear over the safety of U.S. beef.
"I participated in the protests simply because I don't want to die of mad cow disease," an Internet user who claimed to be a high school student said in a message posted on naver.com, South Korea's largest portal site. "It is hilarious that the government suspects that a political force is behind our action. We are not that dumb."
The Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, a progressive group of local teachers, criticized the government for raising questions about the students' "pure action," adding that teachers should not use coercive measures upon students.
"Students have as much right as any adult to voice their opinion against the beef issue," said an unnamed official of the union.
Disputes over the student protests have also been escalating following a recent police investigation of a high school student.
Last week, a policeman in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, took a high school student out of class and questioned him, threatening to punish him unless he revealed who was behind a protest held in the region a few days earlier. The student allegedly arranged for students to participate in the rally.
Facing immense criticism from civic groups, the Jeonju police station said Saturday it will question and demote the policeman soon.
Under the April agreement with Washington, Seoul can only suspend imports if the World Organization for Animal Health downgrades the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) classification of the U.S. following an outbreak of the disease. The U.S. is currently classified as a BSE risk-controlled country.
The South Korean government said it will ban imports of specified risk materials (SRMs) -- which are categorized as being most likely to be infected by mad cow disease -- if they do not carry a label that proves the animal was under 30 months old when butchered. SRMs consist of brains, eyes, spinal cords, and other organs.
But enforcing the measure requires agreement from Washington as U.S. exporters are currently only required to specify the animal's age for backbone cuts.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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