A woman walking past a sculpture featuring apples, a representation of apples being a regional specialty in Cheongsong. — Reuters
THE apples grown in the South Korean county of Cheongsong in the country’s southeast are so renowned for their flavour that they are often given out in neatly-packaged gift boxes during national holidays.
But apple farmers, who account for about a third of the roughly 14,000 households in the sleepy rural area, worry that their way of life could be under threat from an influx of cheap US imports.
Fanning concerns, South Korea’s trade minister suggested recently that Seoul could make concessions on some agricultural imports, although he said sensitive items should be protected, as part of the deal to avoid punishing US tariffs on cars, steel and other key exports.
“US apples are very cheap. We can’t compete with them,” said Shim Chun-taek, a third-generation farmer who has been growing apples for two decades.
He now fears South Korean farmers are being sacrificed to appease the United States and support the country’s manufacturing sector.
Shim taking a look at an apple tree at his apple orchard in Cheongsong, South Korea. — Reuters
The United States has long called for better market access for its farm products from beef to apples and potatoes, and US President Donald Trump has slammed steep tariffs on rice in South Korea and Japan.
South Korea has taken steps to open its market and is now the top buyer of US beef and the sixth-biggest destination for US agricultural exports overall.
Still, Washington has complained about persistent non-tariff barriers.
South Korea’s quarantine agency is still reviewing US market access requests for apples more than 30 years after they were filed, sparking calls by Washington to expedite the approval process for a range of fruits and potatoes.
Any opening up of the sector would increase pressure on apple farmers already wrestling with a host of problems, from climate change to an ageing population and wildfires, which have led to rising costs, smaller harvests and higher prices.
Shim checking stored apples at a low temperature warehouse in Cheongsong. — Reuters
Bank of Korea governor Rhee Chang-yong last year said runaway prices of apples and other farm goods were contributing to inflation and that there was a need to consider more imports.
The central bank noted that South Korea’s grocery prices were higher than the average for OECD countries, with apple prices nearly three times higher than the OECD average.
“I think it is difficult to justify absolute protection to certain agriculture sectors simply because of its high sensitivity,” said Choi Seok-young, a former chief negotiator for the Korea-US trade deal.
It was hard to view the delayed quarantine process as “rational based on science and international norms,” added Choi, who is now a senior adviser for law firm Lee & Ko.
Agriculture emerged as one of the sticking points in US trade talks with South Korea and Japan, after countries such as Indonesia and Britain agreed to allow more agricultural imports from the United States in recent trade deals.
Shim checking the apples he stored in his warehouse. — Reuters
Seoul has long restricted shipments of US beef from cattle older than 30 months.
Massive protests from South Koreans worried about safety due to mad cow disease followed a 2008 agreement with the United States to lift the restrictions.
Shim, 48, who wakes at 3am every morning to work on his orchards, said it would be impossible to find alternative crops to grow in the mountainous area.
The tariff talks had fuelled protests from farmers’ groups and there could be more to come.
“We oppose the imports of apples no matter what,” said Youn Kyung-hee, mayor of Cheongsong county, adding that people will not “sit still” if Seoul opens up the market. — Reuters
