Just when you thought the controversy regarding US beef was dying down, the Korean media are now reporting that Lotte Mart, the first major retail chain to start selling recently imported US beef, profited, by labeling and selling cheaper chuck-eye rolls as sirloin.
I don’t condone what Lotte Mart did, but one can’t help wondering if this would have appeared in every Korean news outlet as a major news item if the meat in question was hanwoo.
34 Comments
Of course it is a big and controversial issue in Korea, and therefore, news worthy. You are picking fights here, Bob. It is perfectly legitimatre for the media to cover all aspects of that controversy. Are you saying that US beef importation shoud not be controversial??? If you are, then say it.
But anyways, it is all moot, despite the bull shit. Because the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) has thrown conditional support behind the FTA with Korea. AFBF President Bob Stallman said:
The FTA had the group’s support provided Korea “fully complies with World Organization for Animal Health controlled-risk guidelines and that US beef trade with Korea resumes.”
The group had previously withheld support on the condition that Korea open its beef market. US beef past inspections by Ministry of Agriculture, and hit the shelves (to much controversy and criticism by some groups in Korea, as you are gleefully aware).
If American cattlemen are happy, then what do YOU have to complain about???
So, Korea kept its promise and US farmers are keeping theirs. Issue closed for all practical purposes.
#1. yourbutt.
What I’m saying is; what’s the big deal here? Why does the import of US beef and anything related have to be splattered all over the news?
Yes I do believe that the import of US beef should not be controversial. I mean Korea does import other stuff, why should US beef be any different?
Frankly, I’m also sick and tired of turning on the TV and see every news program saying US beef this US beef that.
You’re correct it is a closed matter. I hope the Korean media also follows your advice.
I’m with mins0306 on this one. Ripping off consumers is newsworthy but where the beef came from doesn’t matter and mentioning it was gratuitous at best.
BTW mins0306, I am certainly not the blog name maven but your blog name looks like you just did a cut-n-paste of your email address. Is there some significance to your name that I don’t know about?
Who’s “Bob”?
Bob’s your uncle.
I think he’s talking about ‘robert’ no?
BTW… Does the fact that a Korean business tried ripping off customers by using their ignorance and desire to save money against them suprise anyone here? This kind of deception happens EVERY DAMN DAY in markets all over Korea. They switch the labels on the part that says “made in Korea” and sell Chinese stuff… Now they are just using US Beef because it is sensational… It doesn’t make US beef look bad… It just makes Lotte Mart look bad.
#3.
You’re correct it is a cut-n-paste of my e-mail address.
Not much in the way of significance here, mins is a shortened version of my Korean name and 0306 is my birthday.
babotaengi, at a guess I’d say that flew right over most people’s heads in here. “Bob’s your uncle” is a commonwealth expression. I don’t believe americans/canadians know what it means, although i could be wrong.
A few points:
First of all to fencerider: please go home. Stay a little while in your own country and try not to be ignorant of the scandals and deceptions that people visit upon each other there. Wherever there is. Koreans are not assholes because they’re Korean. After you’ve appreciated the crap in your own country, then come back and just enjoy this place for what it is.
Second of all, to the esteemed Andy Jackson and our new poster mins0306: of course this issue fucking matters. What the hell is wrong with you? Yes, I’m sick and tired of hearing about the beef issue and, yes, I’ve waiting eagerly for a chance to buy cheap and good US beef. And, yes, I know that beef is political and the past 4 years have been Korean protectionism at its worst and that the media has been complicit. I also know that the media here is bloodthirsty and they’re tough but they’re only printing/broadcasting stuff that they know the public here will consume. Consider that for a moment.
Wouldn’t it be nice if the media here was a bit like NPR or PBS back in the good ol’ US of A? Damn! For that matter, wouldn’t it be nice if the American media was like that for once, too.
What I’d really like is to be able to pop on Marmot every once and a while and not see the first post begin with some snarky, self-righteous, “here we go again” crap.
Oh, and one more thing: the US can NEVER be accused of protectionism. EVER. Because when it comes to free trade, American politicians are straight shooters, as straight as they come. right?!?
MJW, could you clarify a bit? Are you saying that if one is not perfect he doesn’t have the right to criticize?
As a consultant, I am paid to advise clients from the perspective of a well informed third party – to give them an outsider’s perspective. I am often critical of what clients do.
Though many of the people who criticize some aspects of Korea on this blog are not paid to do so, most are relatively well informed. The countries that many of us come from are far from perfect, but I think we have a vested interest in seeing Korea do better.
Also, it helps to have a place to vent when Korea starts to drive you crazy.
I thought Bob was hard to locate in Korea.
If you dont complain things will never change.
Ok… Perhaps I was a tad over-general, I’ll take the blame on that… But I have been here a long time (25% of my life) and I have seen this type of thing over and over again with little or no signs of abating. I have had many personal experiences with the hind end of decision processes that lack the rule of law or the fear of punishment as they do here. In my adult life in the US, I can hardly say I lived a sheltered life. Rather, I had my share of experience with people lacking morals and ethics; those people, almost without exception, fear the punishment and expect it when they get caught. We who have been here a while have seen over and over again the results of these types of decisions and they have begun to lose their shock value for many of us; instead responses are often “snarky, self-righteous ‘here we go again crap” that you may occasionally see here. You are, of course, entitled to your opinion as well. If you don’t like what I say, I welcome your thoughts.
Peace and Power
No, I think he’s just trying to say I need to post more boobie pics
Robert understands me.
Mins0306 main point is “can’t help wondering if this would have appeared in every Korean news outlet as a major news item if the meat in question was hanwoo,” which is a two-part bait-and-switch:
Lotte Mart switches one meat cut for another.
Then the Korean media switches a local instance of fraud for another complaint about U.S. beef.
There’s no point in doing the old “Oh yeah, well in the U.S. blah blah blah….” for an observation about the KOREAN media.
This study summed up the Korean media’s incompetence really well:
, Korean journalism has been criticized with as possessing the following characteristics.
Sensationalism: The media often take up sensational words to exaggerate the case. They have been blamed for fostering people’s fears.
Hot-pot journalism practices: The media flock to the issue for a short period and turn away from the issue without enough follow-up reports.
Negligence of investigative reporting: Journalists respond to government press releases rather than conducting investigation. News reporters rely on government agencies’ press releases and do not engage in their own investigation and analysis.
Practices of scoop competition: Because of harsh competition for scoops, inaccurate information is often released.
http://www.awpagesociety.com/i.....anFood.pdf
“They’re only printing/broadcasting stuff that they know the public here will consume” is truly pathetic.
So Marmot, what’s stopping you from the boobie pics? Here’s
a row of butts to get started:
http://inews.mk.co.kr/include/.....ID=8132757
“No, I think he’s just trying to say I need to post more boobie pics :)” No argument whatsoever.
Whether an issue should be controversial or not has nothing to do with the fact that an issue is controversial. Almost everyone here feels that import of U.S. beef shouldn’t be controversial, but hey, it is - there are people who feel that their way of making a living is endangered and there are people who can’t wait to get their hands on some quality/cheap meat. At least on that note, the subject is already controversial (in that there is a public disagreement) and therefore newsworthy.
Also, it’s pretty obvious that the article is targeting the Lotte Mart for deceiving the customers, not the U.S. beef itself. I believe the source of U.S. beef was mentioned because
1. There was a controversial demonstration AT Lotte Mart few days ago (which makes the issue a hot topic), and
2. Selling U.S. beef is a new sales development at Lotte Mart, which once again makes it relevant.
In fact, I would think that not mentioning the U.S. beef is strange; the y mislabeled U.S. beef after all, didn’t they?
Perhaps I’ve been here too long, but I would be far more concerned if people were protesting Lotte, or its business practices. The big question is, how many people that night said, “Gee honey, this sirloin sure tastes like chuck!” Or, “My, those American steers must be made different!” It seems the quality of the product helped facilitate the deception. How many Korean producers can say the same?
@mjw:
You raise a valid point about American protectionism. Indeed I wonder if and how US Beef does receive, and how that affects the price it can get overseas. It’s the same deal with California rice. It’s little different from the Korean stuff (and my wife likes it more), but those Federal water subsidies might be more expensive than the worth of the product!
I should add to the first point, that unless there is collusion between retailers and US Beef producers, I don’t see how the fact that it’s American beef Lotte sold is germane. I’m sure beef is not the only product Lotte is selling fraudulently.
@michael:
Newspapers need readers (and advertisers more importantly), unless it’s KCNA. Editors make moral decisions all the time, and if it leads to a trend, stop reading the newspaper! I wouldn’t take a Korean paper for my primary source for that reason. They’re just good documents. So, the issue is what kept a reporter from asking, “If Lotte sold Beef fraudulently, what else are they doing wrong? Is it a one-time thing, or a sanctioned practice?” Do editors squash this? Advertisers? Are Korean journalists asleep on their feet? The “US Beef” part of the header is the answer to the what? question, but it’s not remarkable. Even in Korean, the grammar points the way: the subject of the action is Lotte. That’s where the scrutiny should go.
Baltimoron–I’m not sure what your point is, I just concur with minso that “one can’t help wondering if this would have appeared in every Korean news outlet as a major news item if the meat in question was hanwoo,” and I think we know the answer to that, it would likely go without mentioning.
“Are Korean journalists asleep on their feet?” They seem to be.
To get back on the specific topic, there is no way to avoid mentioning that it’s US beef since it is part and parcel of the problem.
When I was purchasing for a couple restaurants here (one mine, the other where I worked for a period) it was difficult to get proper western style cuts of beef. This is because the butchering is slightly diffrent in Korea than the West.
One reason the US cattlemen are interested in the US market is not just the market size. In short a cheap beef in the US is an expensive cut in Korea, and vice versa (for example you rarely, if ever, find tenderloin in Galbi restaurants). All this means that a US beef producer can get a greater yield per cow.
In this case, the problem is the sirloin. In the US this is a distinct cut of meat and simply the loin only, however in Korea the term refers to the loin and part of the chuck. From the US view, it would be in practile to import the loin whole for two reason:
1. The loin as a whole is more profitable in the US
2. Since the loin is close to the bone, it is risky to import because a bone “chip” may also be part of the export shipment, which as history shows would cause bigger problems
So what the US side did was likely to cut so as to create a smaller loin (which was closer to the bone) for the US consumers, and the remaining loin was connected still with a portion of the chuck for Korea. Thus, perhaps in a technical sense only, create the Korean high value cut.
So what does this all mean? Likely the farmers have a point that the label was misleading, and Lotte has a point to since “technicaly” the cut was proper (it did indeed have a portion of the loin and the chuck, just not in the proportion a Korean Hanu cut would).
in practile=impractical
Dram Man’s fat fingers strike again!
Oh and for all you wondering what the US side did with the smaller sirloin, where do you think gourmet “Sirloin” burgers and petite sirloin steaks come from?
Wow, it’s a good thing Dram-man doesn’t work for a South Korean newspaper, or we would have never learned that!
Ever consider a TV spot as the Wizard, Dram-man? As long as you have a college degree, that is! Or, you can start a blog!
Damn those Americans for trying to stay ahead of and still honor ROK law, instead of breaking it!
If what Dram-man is saying is true:
1. My family always says it’s a matter of “taste”, the flavor of the meat. Korean beef has a distinctive flavor (and now they start sounding like wine connoisseurs). It’s nutty and sweet, and very chewy. If I’m right it comes from the stomach. So, that means if American producers export that particularly cut of beef, they can wipe out South Korean producers clean across all niche markets. Right now, South Koreans can say, “Well, it’s cheaper, but I don’t like sirloin or chuck. It’s the flavor!” It’s their choice to pay for the flavor they want, too. But, if American producers export the same cut, and retailers market right, what rational consumer would stick with the expensive stuff (if high-quality Korean equals an inferior cut).
That begs the question, why didn’t American producers just export the similarly-tasting premium Korean cut to avoid this question of taste?
From my understanding, that “nutty” taste is from clembutorol. Its usage is easy to spot in most beef as it produces a distinctive striping of fatty tissue. It’s also imported in very large quantities in Korea, according to an Asia-Pacific pharmaco expert I know.
WTF
Female English teachers from North America are used in the Korean beef industry?
Dram man has shed some light on this and the fact that it was “American cut” may have caused some confusion.
However, IF a store intentionally mislabels a cut of meat (not the country of origin), that is a problem with the store, not the country it came from. I would think that is a pretty simple concept to grasp.
#25 -
Actually, the English JoongAng Ilbo published an article explaining the cut confusion today.
Good eyes!
Wait, so the problem was that the Korean industry’s definitions of chuck and sirloin were different from U.S. industry’s?
Sorry can’t let this pass:
Wow, two years already?!?
That would be Clenbuterol… And spelled right, it caused this comment to be caught by Akismet…
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Trading Beefs…
Sometimes the TMH comment section is good for more than a cautionary tale. The “beef wars” in South Korea took another turn this week, as a South Korean daily accused Lotte Mart of selling cheaper cuts of American beef than advertised. To …
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