Will South Korea put apple farmers on the chopping block to seal Trump deal?
But apple farmers, who account for about a third of the roughly 14,000 households in the sleepy rural area, worry that their way of life could be under threat from an influx of cheap US imports.
Fanning concerns,
South Korea 's trade minister suggested last week that Seoul could make concessions on some agricultural imports, although he said sensitive items should be protected as part of any deal to eliminate or reduce punishing US tariffs on cars, steel and other major exports.
'US apples are very cheap. We can't compete with them,' said Shim Chun-taek, a third-generation farmer who has been growing apples for two decades.
He now fears South Korean farmers risk being sacrificed to appease the US and support the country's manufacturing sector.
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