An organization of South Korean meat importers said Friday they would voluntarily ban imports of U.S. beef from older cattle.
The comments came hours after South Korea and the United States have cited progress in talks on new measures to reopen the South Korean market to the American meat, Yonhap news agency reported.
"We will make an announcement to voluntarily import U.S. beef from cattle younger than 30 months as of 3:00 p.m. today," Park Chang-kyu, president of South Korean beef importer A-Meat said, adding 130 local importers have signed the pledge.
In Washington, South Korean Trade Minister Kim Jong-hoon and U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab ended their week-long talks to rework a deal signed in April to resume imports of U.S. beef, with both sides saying they reached results that are satisfactory to each other.
The results will be announced after Trade Minister Kim reports to President Lee Myung-bak, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said in a statement, adding that the trade minister was heading back to Seoul.
Many South Koreans, who typically eat almost all cuts of beef, have expressed fears over the safety of the U.S. meat amid mounting concerns over mad cow disease, though government officials from the two nations maintain the beef is safe.
Seeking to placate a public uproar over the beef deal, President Lee wants the U.S. government to give assurances that U.S. exporters will voluntarily refrain from sending beef from cattle older than 30 months, while the April deal allows the resumption of beef trade from cattle of any age. Younger cows are believed to be less at risk of contracting mad cow disease.
So far, the U.S. government has been reportedly reluctant to do so, saying Seoul's request runs counter to international trade rules.
On Thursday, President Lee apologized to the public, his second apology in a month, over his government's handling of U.S. beef imports, reiterating he would "ensure that U.S. beef older than 30months won't be put on our dinner tables."
The United States once accounted for more than two-thirds of South Korea's beef imports, exporting 850 million U.S. dollars to South Korea a year. South Korea banned imports after a mad cow disease case was reported in the United States in 2003.
Source:Xinhua
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