By Song Sang-ho

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11 (Yonhap) -- A U.S. expert cautioned Tuesday against letting trade issues between South Korea and the United States define the entire bilateral relationship, noting the need to draw a lesson from a 2008 dispute over U.S. beef imports that the two countries resolved through continued engagement.

Wendy Cutler, a former top U.S. negotiator for the South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement and senior vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute, wrote an op-ed published by Newsweek, a U.S. magazine, calling for Seoul and Washington to address individual issues "on their merits" and focus on the "big picture."

Her article came as Washington has taken issue with several Korean regulations and legal measures, such as the revised network act aimed at tackling false online content, raising concerns that trade tensions between the two countries could undermine cooperation on more strategically important issues, including security.

Cutler drew attention to the 2008 beef controversy, which she said was successfully resolved "because both sides stayed engaged, addressed the substance and refused to let a single difficult issue define the entire relationship."

"At the time, it seemed like the controversy would leave a permanent scar on the bilateral economic relationship. It did not. Through round-the-clock negotiations, Washington and Seoul agreed on additional safeguards which paved the way for the reopening of this important market," she said.

"Since 2021, Korea has been the largest overseas market for American beef by value. A product that once threatened the overall U.S.-Korea relationship turned into a success story for both sides."

That is an "important lesson" for both countries, Cutler stressed.

"We find ourselves back in a world where U.S. concerns over a few Korean restrictive trade measures are, unfortunately, defining our relationship," she said.

"This is not in the interest of either side, particularly in a turbulent world that is experiencing active conflicts, fragmentation, weaponization of trade, technology competition and supply chain vulnerabilities. In such a world, the U.S. and Korea should work together closely to address these challenges."

Cutler pointed out that the most durable partnerships are not those without disagreements, but the ones with "enough trust, pragmatism, creativity and shared interest" to work through them.

She underscored that Seoul and Washington have faced thorny issues before, and resolved them through "engagement, pragmatism and creativity."

"As a result, they have emerged stronger and ready to tackle the larger matters on the strategic horizon," she said. "They should do so again."

sshluck@yna.co.kr

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