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Agriculture Minister Emphasizes Rice, Beef as Non-Negotiable Redlines in Trade Talks

Minister Song Mi-ryung of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said on the 28th that increasing the import quota for U.S. rice is “impossible.” She emphasized that the government’s consistent position is that rice and beef are “redlines (limit lines).”

Minister Song responded this way while answering questions from People Power Party Representative Kang Myeong-gu during the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs’ comprehensive audit at the National Assembly’s Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Forestry, and Maritime Affairs Committee regarding Foreign Minister Cho Hyun’s remarks. He said, “We cannot adjust country-specific quotas at our discretion.”

Previously, People Power Party lawmakers belonging to the Agriculture, Food, Rural Affairs, Forestry, and Maritime Affairs Committee had demanded an apology from Minister Cho, stating that Foreign Minister Cho Hyun made remarks during the audit implying that country-specific rice import quotas could be increased. In response, Minister Song drew a line by stating, “The Minister of Foreign Affairs is not the negotiating party,” in response to the criticism that Minister Cho’s remarks differed from the government’s existing position.

When asked whether the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs was sidelined in tariff negotiations, Minister Song emphasized, “Not at all.” He added, “From the beginning of official negotiations, we strongly stated that rice and beef are redlines.”

When People Power Party Representative Seo Cheon-ho asked another question related to the Foreign Minister’s remarks, Minister Song reiterated, “Our government’s consistent position is that rice and beef are redlines,” and added, “I would like to reiterate that we have never engaged in official discussions for further opening.”

Regarding the possibility of South Korea additionally importing U.S. soybeans, Minister Song denied it, stating, “We are not at all considering expanding soybean imports.” He added, “I think this might be a speculation based on the U.S.-China situation where China has effectively halted imports of U.S. soybeans.”

South Korea is obligated to import a certain amount of rice annually under the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement. Currently, out of the annual rice import quota of 408,700 tons, approximately 136,000 tons are from the U.S. During the renegotiation process of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the U.S. has demanded further opening of the agricultural and livestock product markets, but the government has maintained rice and beef as non-negotiable items.

Source : chosun