Left Flank

TMH is not the comments section one needs to go, to learn about anti-US beef protests in ROK. But, to the proprietor's credit, two contributors have come forward with political and economic opinions on the protests that aren't just crowd-pleasing brickbats.

I'm relieved Drambuie Man came out of his coma to talk about culture and economics.

So really the real beef of the protest is the beef, not the demand for MB head on a platter (now if the goal was a change to the Korean constitution, I would be much more amenable to the whole thing).

Commenter-turned-contributor mins0306 takes the opposite route to get to the same conclusion.

The common perception here in the Hole is that Koreans hate US beef and that Koreans think Hanwoo is superior. A diehard Korean nationalist will give you that answer and yes you will get that answer from some ordinary Koreans. Now if one were to ask a Korean about their preference, and prod them further some will admit that US beef is tastier, has better texture, and cheaper to boot. So then why all this anti-US beef rhetoric? And why this I rather buy more expensive Hanwoo thingy? Well the answer is simple. Nationalism and preference for things Korean, aside BSE. But, some if not most Koreans(protestors included) aren't rejecting the US beef altogether. What they are rejecting is the beef they believe to be risky. Namely 30 month or older , brain, spine, you get the idea.

Now some Koreans(protestors included) know that you won't drop like flies when one eats US beef, that there is no scientific evidence to prove conclusively that you get your brain melted by eating US beef, and that the OEI has concluded that US beef meets the standards. But the Koreans are asking when it comes to US beef that is 30 months or older, how do I know for sure it is safe? And this is where the whole thing begins.

Yet, why did these protests in Busan lead to the Grand National party's local branch office in Namcheon-dong?