August 17, 2005

South Korea to delay resuming US beef imports

South Korea's government said the country was likely to delay resuming US beef imports until next year, due to technical problems in showing safety from mad cow disease.

So far, the country has not received requested information from the US, regarding the second case of mad cow disease reported there in June, the government said.

While the information was expected to arrive soon, the Korean government said it might take several months for a decision on whether to resume US beef imports, as Korean expert opinions and safety negotiations were still required.

South Korea has restricted US beef imports since 2003 due to concerns about mad cow disease.