South Korea Backs Off Import Ban Decision

The South Korean government says it will rescind its earlier efforts to lift U.S. beef import bans, after massive weekend protests against the move.

Instead, the government in an about-face will ask the U.S. government to stop sending beef from cattle more than 30 months old to South Korea, the Voice of America reported Tuesday.

The announcement was made by South Korean Agriculture Minister Chung Woon-chun, who said the agriculture ministry will postpone all inspections of American beef until the United States reacts to the government’s latest move. Chung said the decision was made in a humble acceptance of the people’s will.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak lifted all import bans on U.S. beef in April during a meeting with U.S. President George Bush. The bans were imposed in 2003 after an imported cow was found to have mad cow disease. But a grassroots protest movement quickly developed, triggered by perceptions that Lee’s decision was too hasty and dismissive of the public’s deep concerns over safety, the VOA reported.

Tens of thousands of protester marched and held candlelight vigils over the weekend to protest the beef import situation.