South Korea's President looks to end Canadian beef dispute

South Korea in principle wants to lift a ban on Canadian beef and that efforts are ongoing to resolve the sensitive issue, said President Lee Myung-bak.

Lee said the situation is heading toward a resolution, not toward a deadlock.

The two countries are discussing the matter and have set forth the principle that South Korea will import Canadian beef, said Lee.

The president did not mention when the ban will be lifted.

Lee admitted that this is a very sensitive issue for the Korean people and the beef ban is currently being deliberated in the World Trade Organisation.

South Korea banned imports of Canadian beef in May 2003 due to mad cow disease. Canadian beef has a "controlled risk" classification from the OIE in 2007, allowing Canada to export all beef parts except for certain specified risk materials (SRMs), but South Korea remains reluctant to lift the ban as a result of repeated occurrences of the disease in Canada.

Prior to the ban, Canada was the fourth largest beef supplier to South Korea after the US, Australia and New Zealand. It exported 16,400 tonnes of beef to South Korea worth US$37.4 million.