South Korea lifts ban on US beef imports

SEOUL: The South Korean government lifted a ban on American beef imports Thursday, seeking to restore its authority reeling from tumultuous protests over safety concerns that left the fledgling pro-US administration in political turmoil.

The Public Administration Ministry issued a legal notice Thursday morning on the US agreement to restrict its beef exports to younger cattle, the final administrative step required before imports resume, said ministry official Chang Su-wan. Meat from cattle younger than 30 months are considered at less risk of mad cow disease.

The new regulation modifies an earlier deal reached in April that placed few restriction on meat shipments, which prompted public outrage against the government for making too many concessions to Washington and ignoring the public's concerns.

US beef has been banned from South Korea for most of the past four and a half years, after the first case of mad cow disease in the US was discovered in late 2003. Limited imports were briefly allowed last year and then were suspended again.

Some 5,300 tons of US beef, shipped earlier to South Korea but held in customs and quarantine storage facilities, will first undergo inspections before being put on the market, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

Ministry spokesman Yoon Young-koo said quarantine and inspection of the meat in the storage facilities could restart as early Thursday afternoon, if importers ask for it.

South Korean activists have urged the government of President Lee Myung-bak to cancel the legal notice plan, threatening to intensify anti-government demonstrations over what they say are inadequate protections against mad cow disease.

Faced with daily candlelight vigils against imports of U.S. beef, President Lee replaced his top advisers and apologized to the public for the second time last week. His entire Cabinet has also offered to resign.

Eating meat products contaminated with mad cow disease is linked to variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare and fatal human malady. US and South Korean officials insist that American beef is safe.