The first boneless beef imported into South Korea from America for almost five years arrived at the dockside this week. It was a victory of sorts for President Lee Myung-bak, whose decision to end a ban on American beef imports prevailed over vast protests and the loss of three cabinet ministers. But the costs of victory continue to rise. The president is being drawn into a legal battle with broadcasters and trade unions.rnJin Young-OK, the vice-president of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, has been arrested and charged with organising illegal demonstrations and strikes. The president has accused two television broadcasters, kbs and mbc, of biased, emotional reporting that has incited Koreans to take to the streets. The president of kbs, Jung Yun-joo, is under pressure to resign; mbc has been indicted. The chairman of the Korea Commission for the Press, Chang Heng-hoon, complains that the president's "way ofrnthinking about the press is to use it as a tool to control public opinion."
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