Farmers and civic activists shout slogans during a rally near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul on July 31, 2025. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, July 31 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korean farmers and civic groups on Thursday welcomed the exclusion of rice and beef from the nation’s latest trade deal with the United States.
“The government emphasized that there will be no further opening of rice and beef markets,” they said in a statement issued during a rally near the U.S. Embassy in central Seoul. “It is fortunate that the threat of agricultural liberalization, which no previous administration had taken the lead in blocking, has been largely averted.”
Earlier, the Seoul government said it has safeguarded the country’s rice and beef markets in a trade deal with the U.S. despite strong pressure for further opening of the markets.
Expecting that there will be additional negotiations before President Lee Jae Myung holds summit talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in two weeks, they urged Lee to stand firm against the U.S. leader’s strategy.
Ha Won-oh, standing representative of Farmers’ Road, said, “Negotiations are not over yet. We’ll have to wait and see what demands they will make. Farmers think that no matter how strong the pressure, agricultural policies that allow them to make a living must be protected.”
(Yonhap)
