South Korea workers strike in fresh blow to president

[Doctor Cynic]

Source: Reuters

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean construction workers joined striking truckers on Monday in the latest blow to new President Lee Myung-bak, whose repeated policy stumbles have seen his popularity plunge after less than four months in office.

Adding to pressure on Lee was the lack of progress in talks overnight Sunday in Washington, although U.S. trade officials said negotiators were set to resume work on Monday. South Korean officials were trying to revise an April agreement on importing U.S. beef that triggered a wave of street protests against Lee's government.

Criticism of the beef deal, stemming from mad cow disease fears, has mushroomed into a wider attack against pro-business policies that helped give the conservative leader his landslide victory in December's presidential election and ended a decade of left-of-centre rule in Asia's fourth-largest economy.

The striking construction workers are pressing for cheaper fuel and higher pay.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSSEO28153520080616?sp=true

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It certainly takes skill to be elected by landslide and then have a general strike and lower-than-GWB level approval ratings in four months.

[cliss]

1. Wow this is getting interesting.

South Koreans: amazingly tough die-hards for their principles!.
I just read that S. Korea has been protesting for over a MONTH over the beef issue. Increasingly bigger protests, all the time. Last week the protests filled the city, with the entire S. Korean cabinet ready to walk out.

It seems that it's more than just U.S. beef. S. Korea seems to be really tired of U.S. meddling in their affairs. They want the U.S. troops out, among other things. Beef is just the lightning rod.

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Easy solution to the crisis.
I have a very easy solution for the S. Koreans. Don't like U.S. beef? Then don't buy it. Become vegetarians for the next month or so. Watch U.S. BEEF GO BAD in your supermarkets. Watch shipments get turned away at the port because no one's buying.
The USDA is clearly playing hard-ball they're not going to concede on their position.