WORLD> Asia-Pacific
SKoreans protest against US beef deal
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-05-27 10:32

SEOUL, South Korea -- Thousands of South Koreans marched through the capital Monday night to protest a US beef import agreement, despite claims by critics that it doesn't protect against the threat of mad cow disease.

A crowd estimated by police at 3,000 held a candlelight vigil before embarking on the demonstration, demanding that the government renegotiate the pact.


More than 2,500 protesters shout slogans during their rally against a beef import agreement with the United States in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, May 26, 2008. The Korean read ' Null Agreement.' Riot police beat and arrested several protesters early Monday during an illegal rally by hundreds of opponents of a beef import agreement with the United States that has raised fears of mad cow disease in South Korea. [Agencies]

"Nullify the agreement," the protesters chanted as they were stopped by some of the 7,000 riot police blocking off streets downtown. No serious clashes were reported.

Thousands of South Koreans, mostly students and other young people, have held similar vigils and street rallies on a near daily basis against the April 18 deal to resume US beef imports.

Police freed 36 out of 68 demonstrators detained at rallies Sunday, and will decide on the fate of the others Tuesday, according to a police official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk with media.

The protests are one of the biggest domestic challenges faced so far by South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who took office three months ago. Lee last week sought to reassure the country over the safety of US beef, but failed to ease public anger, which has been fanned by media reports questioning the safety of US beef.

Lee, who was scheduled to depart Tuesday for a visit to China, has been criticized for making too many concessions on the beef issue to prompt the US Congress to approve a free trade agreement. South Korea and the US agreed to the landmark accord last year to slash tariffs and other trade barriers, but the deal must still be endorsed by legislatures in both countries.

South Korea suspended US beef imports after the first American case of mad cow disease appeared in December 2003 in a Canadian-born cow in Washington state. A total of three cases of the disease have been discovered in the United States.

After protracted negotiations, restricted imports of US beef reached South Korean supermarkets last year, but further shipments were canceled in October after banned parts, such as bones, were found.

The new beef agreement scrapped nearly all the quarantine restrictions imposed by the previous government to guard against mad cow disease.

Scientists believe mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, spreads when farmers feed cattle with recycled meat and bones from infected animals. In humans, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a rare and fatal malady, is linked to eating meat products contaminated with the cattle disease.