US group calls on Trump govt. to seek removal of S. Korea's 30-month age restriction on US beef
The US nationwide cattlemen's group asked the Trump administration Tuesday to help lift South Korea's import ban on American beef from cattle aged 30 months or older, noting that similar curbs have been lifted in China, Japan and Taiwan.
The National Cattlemen's Beef Association sent its comments to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer as the USTR has requested those comments to "assist in reviewing and identifying unfair trade practices, and initiating all necessary actions to investigate harm from non-reciprocal arrangements."
The age restriction on US beef was put in place in 2008 amid fears over mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy.
"The United States has some of the most rigorous standards and highest safeguards concerning bovine spongiform encephalopathy," the NCBA said. "And we should pursue consultations with Korea to discuss removing the age restriction and strengthening science-based trade between our countries."
It pointed to the growth in US beef sales in South Korea as evidence that consumer confidence has improved significantly since 2008.
"We recognize the 30-month age-based restriction on US beef is a sensitive issue in Korea, but it is an issue that should not be ignored. Similar 30-month restrictions have been lifted in China, Japan and Taiwan because they recognize the safety and quality of US beef," it said.
The Trump administration has been studying countries' trade practices and other issues as it plans to roll out country-by-country "reciprocal tariffs" on April 2, which are to be pegged to trading partners' duties, non-tariff barriers and exchange rate policies in pursuit of "reciprocity."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
an hour ago
- Korea Herald
Trump approves US Steel, Nippon Steel partnership
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Friday approving a partnership between US Steel and Nippon Steel after the companies reached agreement on US national security guarantees. The deal brings an end to the long-running saga over foreign ownership of a key national asset which began in December 2023, when US Steel and Nippon Steel announced plans for a $14.9 billion merger. Nippon's acquisition of US Steel was held up by former president Joe Biden, who blocked it in his last weeks in the White House on national security grounds. Trump initially opposed Nippon Steel's takeover plan, calling for US Steel to remain domestically owned, but he threw his support behind a "partnership" in May. "US Steel will REMAIN in America, and keep its Headquarters in the Great City of Pittsburgh," the US president said in a Truth Social post. In a joint statement, US Steel and Nippon Steel said Trump "has approved the Companies' historic partnership that will unleash unprecedented investments in steelmaking in the United States, protecting and creating more than 100,000 jobs." "In addition to President Trump's Executive Order approving the partnership, the Companies have entered into a National Security Agreement (NSA) with the US Government," they said, which calls for approximately $11 billion in new investments to be made by 2028. Trump's executive order did not provide details about the NSA but he reserved the authority to issue further orders "as shall in my judgment be necessary to protect the national security of the United States." Friday's announcement follows a review of the deal by the government's Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which is tasked with analyzing the national security implications of foreign takeovers of US companies. (AFP)
Korea Herald
13 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Israel attacks Iran's nuclear sites and its top military leaders. Iran retaliates with drones
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Israel attacked Iran early Friday with a barrage of airstrikes that took out top military officers and hit nuclear and missile sites, calling it just the beginning and raising the potential for an all-out war between the two bitter Middle East adversaries. It appeared to be the most significant attack Iran has faced since its 1980s war with Iraq. Iran quickly retaliated, sending a swarm of drones at Israel as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned of 'severe punishment.' Iran had been censured by the UN's atomic watchdog a day earlier for not complying with obligations meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. For years, Israel had threatened such a strike and successive American administrations had sought to prevent it, fearing it would ignite a wider conflict across the Middle East and possibly be ineffective at destroying Iran's dispersed and hardened nuclear program. Countries in the region condemned Israel's attack, while leaders around the globe called for immediate deescalation from both sides. Israel's military said about 200 aircraft were involved in the initial attack on about 100 targets. Two security officials said the country's Mossad spy agency was also able to position explosive drones inside Iran ahead of time and then activate them to target missile launchers at an Iranian base near Tehran. They said Israel had also smuggled precision weapons into central Iran as well as strike systems on vehicles, which were activated as the attack began to hit Iranian air defenses. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the highly secretive missions and it was not possible to independently confirm their claims. There was no official comment. The Israeli attack hit several sites, including Iran's main nuclear enrichment facility at Natanz, where black smoke could be seen rising into the air. Later in the morning, Israel said it had also destroyed dozens of radar installations and surface-to-air missile launchers in western Iran. Israel military spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin said Israel has 'significantly damaged' Natanz and that the operation was 'still in the beginning.' Among those killed were three of Iran's top military leaders, one who oversaw the entire armed forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, one who led the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard , Gen. Hossein Salami, and another who ran the Guard's ballistic missile program, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh. Iran confirmed all three deaths, which were a significant blow to Tehran's governing theocracy and will complicate efforts to retaliate against Israel. Khamenei said other top military officials and scientists were also killed. In its first response, Iran fired more than 100 drones at Israel. Israel said the drones were being intercepted outside its airspace, and it was not immediately clear whether any got through. US President Donald Trump urged Iran to reach a deal with Washington on its nuclear program, warning on his Truth Social platform that Israel's attacks 'will only get worse.' Without saying whether he was privy to specific Israeli plans, Trump said 'there is still time to make this slaughter, with the next already planned attacks being even more brutal, come to an end.' 'Iran must make a deal, before there is nothing left, and save what was once known as the Iranian Empire,' he wrote. 'No more death, no more destruction, JUST DO IT, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.' Officials in Washington had cautioned Israel against an attack during continued negotiations over Iran's nuclear enrichment program. They stressed the US had not been involved and warned against any retaliation targeting US interests or personnel. Israel told the Trump administration that large-scale attacks were coming, US officials said on condition of anonymity to describe private diplomatic discussions. On Wednesday the US pulled some American diplomats from Iraq's capital and offered voluntary evacuations for the families of US troops in the wider Middle East. Israeli leaders cast the attack as necessary to head off an imminent threat that Iran would build nuclear bombs, though it remains unclear how close the country is to achieving that or whether Iran had actually been planning a strike. Iran maintains its nuclear program is for civilian purposes only. "This is a clear and present danger to Israel's very survival,' Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed as he vowed to pursue the attack for as long as necessary to 'remove this threat.' Over the past year, Israel has been targeting Iran's air defenses, hitting a radar system for a Russian-made air defense battery in April 2024 and surface-to-air missile sites and missile manufacturing facilities in October. Nervous Israelis rushed to supermarkets in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and elsewhere to buy bottled water and other supplies, and circulated messages on WhatsApp groups advising each other to prepare their shelters for potential long-term use. Khamenei said in a statement that Israel 'opened its wicked and blood-stained hand to a crime in our beloved country, revealing its malicious nature more than ever by striking residential centers.' For Netanyahu, the operation distracts attention from Israel's ongoing and increasingly devastating war in Gaza , which is now over 20 months old. There is a broad consensus in the Israeli public that Iran is a major threat, and Israel's opposition leader, Yair Lapid, a staunch critic of Netanyahu, offered his 'full support' for the mission against Iran. But if Iranian reprisals cause heavy Israeli casualties or major disruptions to daily life, public opinion could shift quickly. The Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah issued a statement that offered condolences and condemned the attack, but did not threaten to join Iran in its retaliation. Hezbollah's latest war with Israel — which killed much of the group's senior leadership — ended with a US-brokered ceasefire in November. Netanyahu expressed hope the attacks would trigger the downfall of Iran's theocracy, saying his message to the Iranian people was that the fight was not with them, but with the 'brutal dictatorship that has oppressed you for 46 years.' 'I believe that the day of your liberation is near,' he said. In addition to targeting nuclear and military sites, Israel aimed its attacks at officials leading Iran's nuclear program and its ballistic missile arsenal. The International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that an Israeli strike hit Iran's uranium enrichment facility at Natanz and said it was closely monitoring radiation levels. The strike on Iran pushed the Israeli military to its limits, requiring the use of aging air-to-air refuelers to get its fighter jets close enough to attack. It wasn't immediately clear if Israeli jets entered Iranian airspace or just fired so-called 'standoff missiles' over another country. People in Iraq heard fighter jets overhead at the time of the attack. The potential for an attack had been apparent for weeks as angst built over Iran's nuclear program. Once the attacks were underway, the US Embassy in Jerusalem issued an alert telling American government workers and their families to shelter in place until further notice. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Israel took 'unilateral action against Iran' and that Israel advised the US that it believed the strikes were necessary for its self-defense. 'We are not involved in strikes against Iran, and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,' Rubio said in a statement released by the White House. Trump is scheduled to attend a meeting of his National Security Council on Friday in the White House Situation Room. Israel has long been determined to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, a concern laid bare on Thursday when the Board of Governors at the International Atomic Energy Agency for the first time in 20 years censured Iran over its refusal to work with its inspectors. Iran immediately announced it would establish a third enrichment site and install more advanced centrifuges. Even so, there are multiple assessments on how many nuclear weapons Iran could conceivably build, should it choose to do so. Iran would need months to assemble, test and field any weapon, which it so far has said it has no desire to do. US intelligence agencies also assess Iran does not have a weapons program at this time. In a sign of the far-reaching implications of the emerging conflict, Israel's main airport was closed and benchmark Brent crude spiked on news of the attack, rising nearly 8% before retreating slightly. (AP)
Korea Herald
18 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Concordia Shanghai Breaks Ground on Visionary New Rittmann Center
State-of-the-art facility will transform student life through the arts, athletics, and wellness. SHANGHAI, June 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Concordia International School Shanghai is set to break ground on a major redevelopment of the Rittmann Center, expanding the iconic facility into a modern, 13,710-square-meter multi-purpose hub designed to support student excellence in academics, the arts, athletics, and wellness. Named after former Head of School Dr. David Rittmann, the Rittmann Center was first completed in December 2007, with a purpose to enhance the school's creative arts education. More than five times the size of the current building, the new Rittmann Center marks one of the largest facility investments in the school's history. Designed to serve students across all divisions, it embodies Concordia's commitment to innovation, sustainability, and holistic education. The new center will house: Architects from Ennead have worked closely with the school to shape a building that's not only functional but inspiring, incorporating advanced acoustic treatments, energy-efficient HVAC systems, and student-centered design principles to support 21st-century learning and performance. "The Rittmann Center has long been a space where students shine," said Dr. Eric Semler, Head of School. "This new facility will take that to the next level—empowering students to explore their passions, build confidence, and thrive in a community that celebrates their talents." Construction will begin after the end of the 2024–25 school year and is expected to be completed by July 2027. To minimize disruption to learning, the school has implemented: "This is more than a building project - it's an investment in our students' future. It's about creating an environment where future generations can learn, perform, and grow," added Dr. Semler. Founded in 1998, Concordia International School Shanghai is a co-educational day school that offers a comprehensive American-style education to students from Preschool through High School. Located in Jinqiao, an international community in Shanghai's Pudong New Area, we are dedicated to cultivating the unique gifts of our students in any areas they are passionate about. Our approach focuses on nurturing every student through a journey of personal and academic growth, offering innovative academic programs, enriching extracurricular activities, and instilling strong character and values.
