US beef continues facing prejudice in South Korea

Cafeterias at Cheong Wa Dae, central and local government agencies are cautious when it comes to serving US beef, said the report.

The daily said Cheong Wa Dae served mainly Australian and Korean beef, and served only a few US beef parts such as brisket, sirloin and shank that did not cause fears of mad cow disease.

The same is true for 17 government agencies, including the Unification Ministry and the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. All government agencies serve Australian beef, except for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism which uses domestic beef.

Government officials said their cafeterias began using Australia in October as it was cheaper than US beef. However, the daily said Australia beef was in fact about 10-percent more expensive.

A cafeteria manager at the Central Government Complex said they have no plans to serve US beef as they could not shake off worries that the meat could be unsafe, according to the report.