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Letter to His Excellency Han Duk-soo, Ambassador Republic of Korea

Letter

Date: July 24, 2009
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Foreign Affairs Trade Food Processing and Sales

Klobuchar Urges Korea to Allow U.S. Organic Exports to Compete Fairly
Expresses concerns about impractical and cost-prohibitive Korean regulations

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar, along with Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND) and others, sent a letter to the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea yesterday urging Korea to allow U.S. organic products in the Korean market to compete on a level playing field.

In the letter, Klobuchar expressed concerns about an existing Korean regulation and impending new regulations that will be impractical and cost-prohibitive, making it hard for U.S. organic exports to continue to compete in the Korean market.

"We respectfully request that the Korean Government reconsider these regulations and work with the United States Trade Representative's office and the United States Department of Agriculture to find an appropriate solution that will allow U.S. organic exports to continue to compete in the Korean market," said Klobuchar.

In 2007, Klobuchar urged South Korean Ambassador Lee Tae-sik to re-open the Korean market to imported American beef.

The full text of the letter is below:

July 23, 2009

His Excellency Han Duk-soo
Ambassador
Republic of Korea
Embassy of the Republic of Korea
2450 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20008

Dear Mr. Ambassador:

We are writing to you to express our concern about an existing restriction on U.S. organic exports to Korea and the implementation of a new organic regulation on January 1, 2010.

First, it has been brought to our attention by U.S. organic producers that, since 2005, Korea has required that there be no incidental presence of Genetically Modified Organisms in organic products. We understand that Korea is the only country to have such a regulation, and that it has hampered the growth of U.S. organic products in Korean market.

Further, we understand that the implementation of Korea's new organic regulation on January 1, 2010 could raise new impediments to U.S. organic exports because it states that:

• all organic ingredients in a product must be certified to the Korean organic standard;
• all labels on products must contain information identifying the company as organic according to the Korean standard; and
• U.S. organic certifiers and their staffs must be accredited under the Korean Organic system.

Our organic producers are deeply concerned that the existing restriction and the new regulation are impractical and cost-prohibitive.

We respectfully request that the Korean Government reconsider these regulations and work with the United States Trade Representative's office and the United States Department of Agriculture to find an appropriate solution that will allow U.S. organic exports to continue to compete in the Korean market.

We appreciate your attention to this request and we look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely yours,

Amy Klobuchar
United States Senator

Kent Conrad
United States Senator

Dianne Feinstein
United States Senator

Ron Wyden
United States Senator

Maria Cantwell
United States Senator

Jeff Merkley
United States Senator


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