"If you apologize to the United States, our fruit industry will be shaken to its roots"

Apple growers raised their voices, insisting that the import of American apples should not be allowed and that quarantine principles should be upheld. There is concern that if trade pressure is conceded lightly, it will lead to a chain of market openings, resulting in a rapid collapse of the agricultural foundation, as well as the loss of safe food for the people and food sovereignty. On July 31, apple growers from across the nation held a "National Rally Against the Import of American Apples" in front of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in Sejong Government Complex. The rally was jointly organized by the Korea Apple Association, the Korea Fruit Farmers' Association Federation, and the Nationwide Apple Cooperative Council, with an estimated 1,500 participants from 120 apple-producing areas. Participants in the rally emphasized that the import of American apples is an issue that threatens the existence of Korean agriculture and that scientific quarantine principles, as ...