UNITED STATES ACCESS TO THE KOREAN BEEF MARKET

SEC. 4607. UNITED STATES ACCESS TO THE KOREAN BEEF MARKET (a) Findings.—Congress finds that— 102 STAT. 1410 (1) the 1986 United States trade deficit with the Republic of Korea was $7,600,000,000; (2) the Republic of Korea has banned beef imports since May 1985; (3) this beef import ban is in contravention of Korea’s obligations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and impairs United States rights under such agreement; (4) Korea imposes an unreasonably high 20 percent ad valorem tariff on meat products; and (5) if the Korean beef market were liberalized, the United States, due to comparative advantage, could supply a significant portion of the Korean market for beef, thereby increasing profit opportunities for the United States beef industry while benefiting Korean consumers. (b) Sense of Congress.—It is the sense of Congress that— (1) the Republic of Korea should take immediate action to fulfill its obligations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and permit access to its market for United States beef; (2) the United States should aggressively pursue negotiations to gain access to the Korean market for United States beef; (3) such negotiations, in addition to elimination of the beef import ban, should address the high tariffs set by the Republic of Korea and the means by which imported beef is distributed in Korea; and (4) if the Republic of Korea does not show clear evidence that it is engaging in meaningful liberalization of its market for United States beef, the United States should use all available and appropriate means to encourage the Republic of Korea to open its market to United States beef imports.