FanPost

9/17 OT - Where's the Beef?

1280px-080606_ROK_Protest_Against_US_Beef_Agreement_03.0.jpg

A close up picture of Candle-light girl, an iconic character created by protest organizers. The slogan reads, "All candles together, till our goals achieved". Photo taken in front of Seoul City Hall on 6 June 2008.

The 2008 US beef protest in South Korea was a series of protest demonstrations made between 24 May 2008 and mid August 2008.[1] against president Lee Myung-bak in Seoul, Korea.[2] The protest involved several hundred thousands[2][3] and at its height up to one million people.[4] The protest began after the South Korean government reversed a ban on US beef imports. The ban had been in place since December 2003, when mad cow disease was detected in US beef cattle.[2][3]

The protests occurred on a background of talks concerning the US-Korea free trade agreement. Critics accuse the move as an attempt by the Korean government to please the US government.[2]

Local media also criticized the government's attempt. An example of this is the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) PD Notebook program "Is American Beef Really Safe from Mad Cow Disease?" televised on 27 April 2008.[5]

Lee Myung-bak's popularity plummeted after the decision and protests.[2]