A lot of time and effort has been spent trying to legitimately understand the domestic turmoil that is hampering Lee Myung-bak’s efforts to stabilize South Korea. After President Lee signed a joint agreement with the U.S.A. on April 17th to lift the six-year ban on American beef, he met with surprising public opposition, the scale of which, has not been seen in South Korea since the 1987 pro-democracy riots.
For those of you who do not live in South Korea, the riots and protests, which initially began in response to the importation of American beef, have grown to accommodate a much larger number of grievances. The issues at hand are controversial and complex. This article will attempt to disseminate the reasons for the protests in such a way that someone who is not familiar with the issues will be able to grasp the current situation. Be warned that this article, in many ways, over simplifies what is happening on the ground. It is only meant to give you a rudimentary understanding of what is happening.
So, what’s the “beef” with American beef? The following is a list of the major elements involved with the protests:
1. Initial controversy over the new agreement was stirred due to public concern that the consumption of American beef would expose Korean to the human variant of BSE, better known as “mad cow” disease. The human strain, Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), is a rare and fatal human neurodegenerative condition.
2. Some believe that Lee Myung-bak made hasty arrangements to sign the April 17th agreement to lift the ban on U.S. beef and could have negotiated for more favorable terms. At the time, the Korean ban on beef was the largest obstacle standing between ratification of the KORUS-FTA (free trade agreement). Lifting the ban was also Washington’s final condition before negotiating the treaty any further. Faced with an ever-closing window of opportunity, since the Bush administration’s term is coming to an end in December, President Lee signed the agreement hoping to push through finalization of the KORUS-FTA. To delay signing the agreement would mean the possibility of scrapping the potential FTA deal for the next 4-8 years under a potential Obama presidency.
3. Some protestors have contributed to the large-scale beef protests because it was the most effective medium to display their discontent with Lee’s potential policies i.e., educational reform, the construction of a cross country canal, etc.
4. A large number of the protestors were organized by leading members of the UDP (United Democratic Party) in an effort to flame the public discontent with President Lee. Many of these people have also called for the President’s impeachment.
5. There are a number of protestors expressing a fresh wave of anti-American sentiment.
6. Students have been organized, in mass, from all ages and backgrounds: elementary, middle, high school and university.
7. Korean netizens have constituted a major force behind the spread of disastrous misinformation. They are also responsible for organizing large numbers of demonstrators and have contributed heavily to the ongoing protests.
8. Korean citizens who are completely opposed to the ratification of the KORUS-FTA agreement.
9. The protests have become, in many ways, a medium for channeling nationalism.
10. Finally, there are those who were simply swept up in the mass hysteria with hardly any frame of reference.

The scale of the protests have dwindled in recent days due to the fact that there has been a growing lack of unity amongst the protestors and their root concerns. Despite this, President Lee’s approval rating has plunged to a miserable 15% and there is still widespread discontent with his actions, which seem to be directly tied to the agreement in April. Public fears about mad cow disease show no signs of abating.