S Korea delays controversial US beef imports
AFP | 2 June 2008
S.Korea delays controversial US beef imports
SEOUL (AFP) - South Korea decided Monday to put off the implementation of its decision to resume US beef imports, the agriculture ministry said in the wake of widespread protests.
The ministry said that it had asked for administrative procedures "on the implementation of new hygienic conditions" for US beef imports to be delayed following a request from the ruling Grand National Party (GNP).
It was not immediately clear how long the delay would last.
South Korea lifted a ban on US beef imports last week despite growing protests over fears of mad cow disease as it struggles to ratify a sweeping free trade deal with the US, the world’s biggest economy.
Procedural steps to lift the ban were supposed to be completed on Tuesday.
"It is not clear right now whether the delay is indefinite or not," a ministry spokesman told AFP, adding there would be more talks among cabinet members on the issue.
All GNP lawmakers held an urgent meeting Monday urging the government to delay the resumption of US beef imports and come up with measures through consultations with Washington, media reports said.
Agriculture Minister Chung Woon-Chun reportedly hinted Monday that he would resign.
Thousands of protesters have staged candle-lit demonstrations in Seoul and other cities demanding the ban remains in place.
Protests intensified last week after the government unveiled new rules on imports and for the inspection of US beef.
Seoul agreed in April to lift its intermittent ban on US beef imports, which was first imposed in December 2003 over mad cow disease.
But opponents claim the government has not secured safeguards against the alleged dangers posed by the human form of the illness.
The resumption of US beef imports was a pre-condition for Washington’s approval of a free trade agreement with South Korea, which some analysts say could boost annual trade between the two nations by 20 billion dollars.
Lee’s government sees the agreement signed last year as crucial to making South Korea more competitive over the long-term.
But South Korea’s parliament failed to ratify the free trade deal due to an opposition boycott.
A new parliamentary session begins this week but legislators have to repeat procedures to ratify the deal which have already taken five months.
