Korea: Bird Flu Hits Chicken Restaurants Hard

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/biz/2008/05/123_24361.html

05-18-2008 19:19
Bird Flu Hits Chicken Restaurants Hard

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

Han Gi-seok, 60, the owner of a famous samgyetang or chicken soup restaurant in central Seoul, showed frustration as more than 100 seats gathered dust at lunch time Friday.

Gogu Samgyetang, one of the most famous restaurants in the bustling office town, has been deserted for weeks following the outbreak of avian influenza that swept across the nation. Normally, it's hard to find a vacant seat during lunch hour and one has to wait in line to be served. Samgyetang is a traditional chicken soup boiled with ginseng and glutinous rice.

``The last time we experienced such bad business was when we opened the restaurant 30 years ago,'' Han sighed. ``This afternoon, we had only six customers.''

President Lee Myung-bak and many top government officials ate samgyetang in front of the cameras in a gesture to ensure the public of the safety of boiled chicken. But most citizens are staying away from dishes made of chicken, duck and any other bird-related foods.

Experts as well as the government say that it is safe to eat boiled chicken and duck as the virus cannot survive high temperatures of 80 degrees Celsius. But their appeal has failed to regain diners.

``I know it's safe to have chicken. But seeing chickens and ducks killed and buried every day on television doesn't stimulate the appetite for chicken or duck,'' Kim Hye-kyoug, a 34-year-old office worker, said.

Many restaurant owners hope that the public scare of bird flu will pass before the upcoming peak season in summer. About 30 percent of chicken dishes are consumed in July and August as it is enjoyed in preparation for the hot season.

Some restaurant owners, pushed to bankruptcy, are seriously considering changing their businesses.

``Even before the outbreak of bird flu, it was hard to run a shop due to the prolonged economic downturn. The bird flu was like the last nail in the coffin,'' said Choi Han-kyu, 53, owner of a chicken restaurant chain, Two Two Fried Chicken.

Before the outbreak, he used to sell up to 50 chickens a day but the number has dropped to 20, Choi said. ``We are tolerating a lot of difficulties. I don't know how long we can survive,''

Han also sees little prospects of improvement in the near term, lamenting almost no concern from the government.

``I know poultry farmers will get some government aid. But who will help restaurant runners?'' Han said.

e3dward@koreatimes.co.kr

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Korea: Bird Flu Hits Chicken Restaurants Hard

Source: http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/Features/2008/05/19/21/0801000000AEN20080518001700315F.HTML

2008/05/19 08:00 KST
Bedrock 'market' sentiment erodes amid food scare

혻혻 By Sam Kim
SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- Rising fears over mad cow disease and bird flu in South Korea have hit traditional markets the hardest, analysts say, with many vendors rapidly growing disaffected with the newly elected government.

혻혻 South Korea agreed last month to almost fully open its market to United States beef despite concerns that the resumption could allow the import of beef infected with bovine spongiform scephalopathy, more commonly known as mad cow disease.

혻 혻 When contracted by humans, the disease is believed to trigger the Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, a rare and fatal malady associated with spongy degeneration of the brain and its eventual death.

혻혻 Tens of thousands of South Koreans have staged candlelight rallies across the country since early May, calling on the government to withdraw or modify its beef deal. Seoul and Washington have dismissed the demand, saying the agreement sufficiently guarantees public health.

혻 혻 Lee Jae-hoon, a veteran meat supplier at Seoul's Kyungdong traditional market, says the impact of the fear is quickly being felt among street vendors, even though imports are not set to begin until later this month.

혻혻 "Sales have been cut by half since the beef deal with America," the 76-year-old said.

혻 혻 "Mad cow fears have driven away consumers while pork prices have shot up. Meats are now unpopular altogether," said Kim Yi-seong, a 56-year-old meat retailer at Seoul's Namdaemun Market.

혻혻 Adding to the vendors' woes, South Korea has recently been struck with the broadest bird flu attack in its history, with outbreaks reported from the southeastern port city of Busan to the country's capital, Seoul.

혻 혻 Bird flu, also known as the avian influenza virus, is easily eliminated if heated over 75 Celsius degrees for five minutes, with no human infection reported yet in South Korea. But vendors say it has nonetheless scared consumers away.

혻혻 "Sales are one third of what they have been around this time of the year," said Kim Yoon-ho, who serves traditional "Samgyetang" soups containing chicken with ginseng and rice in Namdaemun.

혻혻 "This is as hard as it can get," said Kang Yong-ae, a 53-year-old poultry vendor.

혻 혻 "Damages from the fears couldn't immediately be assessed, but I believe many poultry-related businesses are on the verge of shutting down," said Chang Heung-seub, a business professor at Kyungbook National University.

혻혻 A poultry farmer last week attempted suicide by swallowing pesticide during a rally in Seoul. Whisked off to a nearby hospital, he remained in a stable condition on Monday, according to doctors.

혻혻 About 900 farmers joined the protest in front of a state-run disease control center, blaming the government for the spreading fears of bird flu.

혻혻 "The government should have stemmed the spread earlier. Quarantine efforts didn't fail this badly in the past," said Cho Ok-sun, a chicken vendor.

혻혻 Amid the mounting food scare, many merchants said they were ready to withdraw their support for President Lee Myung-bak, a businessman-turned-politician who clinched a landslide election victory in December.

혻혻 Experts say Lee enjoyed solid support ratings of over 40 to 50 percent during last year's presidential race despite corruption scandals, partly boosted by medium-to-low income vendors willing to overlook ethical glitches for the sake of economic performance.

혻혻 "Merchants bought his image of an aggressive businessman who also understands the bedrock economic sentiment because he rose out of childhood poverty," said Kim Seong-joo, a Sungkyunkwan University professor in politics. "Now he's quickly losing their support."
According to local pollster RealMeter, Lee's public approval rate dropped to 23.3 percent in mid-May, the lowest since his February inauguration. The survey, conducted on 700 people via telephone amid the ongoing protests over the beef deal, had a margin of error of 3.7 percent.

혻혻 Some vendors said it is too early to make a judgement on the Lee government.

혻 혻 "It's been less than 100 days" since Lee took over, said Lee Kang-ja, who posted in her chicken stall photos of the president eating Samgyetang soups with his aides to relieve bird flu fears. "We should give him a break."
"With anyone, things would've been the same," said Han Byeong-sook, a meat vendor. "Traditional markets have been undergoing tough years due to larger modern department stores. It's not just his fault."
South Korea halted U.S. beef imports in 2003 after Washington confirmed its first case of mad cow disease. The market reopened last year but again closed in October after U.S. exporters violated regulations on shipments of bone-in-beef products. According to experts, bones pose the greatest risk of transmitting mad cow disease.

혻혻 Bird flu, which has killed over 240 people worldwide, is also feared by quarantine specialists as its deadly strain could mutate into a form easily transmissible between humans, triggering a global pandemic.

혻혻 samkim@yna.co.kr
(END)

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Korea: Bird Flu Hits Chicken Restaurants Hard

Source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2008/05/202_24826.html
05-27-2008 18:19

Brought to Bay

Gov't Ought to Ease Plight of Working Poor

Soaring oil prices and widespread epidemic fears are threatening the livelihoods of low-income workers, but the government just keeps looking on.

Take the skyrocketing price of diesel, which has recently exceeded that of gasoline here in part because of a shortsighted tax policy. Of course the gas oil price hikes are due mainly to the jump in international prices reflecting the surge in global demand. Still, the price reversal with gasoline at the domestic market was attributed to Seoul's sharp raising of the tax on diesel to narrow the price gap last year.

Now, numerous urban peddlers as well as small-scale farmers and fishermen whose main means of making a living are small vehicles using diesel are finding the harder they work, the bigger the losses because of the prohibitive fuel prices.

But government officials are still ruling out the possibility for oil tax cuts, saying it would rekindle consumption in this era of high energy prices. They may be right if the tax breaks are directed at middle-class motorists who use their vehicles for commuting or leisure activities. But the beneficiaries of diesel tax reduction are lower-income workers who would not use more energy than they need however low the tax rates are. A teamsters' union has decided to go on a national strike unless the government comes up with relief measures by June 10. Most people no longer regard it as a usual union threat, but a desperate distress signal.

The government should move quickly to help ease their burdens through either cutting taxes or giving refunds.

Also, more than 3,600 small restaurants closed their doors this year in Seoul alone, hit by largely groundless rumors about mad cow disease, avian influenza and rocketing material prices, including flour. No fewer than 319,000 jobs have been lost in catering, wholesale and lodging businesses over the past 15 months, in what many self-employed say is the ``worst business slump'' since the Asia-wide financial crisis of a decade ago.

Fluctuations of international material prices are beyond the reach of officials, but unfounded health panic surrounding beef and poultry could and should have been reduced to a minimum had Seoul handled it more skillfully and preemptively.

There was only one reason people elected Lee as President, despite his dubious moral credentials ― make our everyday lives better. It's too early to tell, but Lee's pledge to rectify income polarization seems to have gone the other way round: The number of households in debt has sharply increased, as their spending far exceeds income, while the amount of credit card use abroad as well as cash reserves at 10 largest conglomerates have hit all-time records.

Lee may fall into a lame duck status far earlier than expected if he fails to meet the popular expectations for improved living standards sooner than later. The people's disappointment and despair about their lives going from bad to worse could cause social unrest incomparable to that from mad cow fears.

Conglomerates may invest less without tax cuts and other incentives. For many working poor, however, their survival itself is in jeopardy without prompt support.