About 10,000 South Koreans will continue a candlelight vigil in Seoul to call for a complete renegotiation of an April deal on the resumption of U.S. beef imports, organizers said Saturday, dismissing the government's talks with Washington this week as insufficient.
South Korean Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon, who returned earlier in the day from Washington after talks with U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab, said in a media briefing that the United States has agreed not to export beef to South Korea from cattle older than 30 months.
According to the deal reached between the trade officials, the two countries will introduce an age verification system for beef products exported to South Korea to ease South Korean concerns over mad cow disease. Older cattle is known to be more susceptible to the disease.
South Korea and the United States agreed on an indefinite ban on imports of beef from cattle more than 30 months old, with the U.S. allowing South Korea to inspect any U.S. slaughterhouses linked to outbreaks of mad cow disease.
South Korea, once the world's third-largest buyer of U.S. beef, banned imports of the American meat in 2003 after a case of mad cow disease was found in the state of Washington.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday apologized to the public for his government's handling of a U.S. beef import deal which sparked strong protests. Lee's popularity ratings have fallen below 20 percent amid the beef row since winning a landslide victory in the December presidential election, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
According to police, about 10,000 citizens will take part in the candlelight vigil.
Candlelight vigils against the U.S. beef imports have been held in Seoul and other major cities since early May, with participants accusing the Lee government of putting the health of citizens at risk.
Source:Xinhua
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