December 27, 2008

South Korea's court approves US beef imports

The South Korean court on Friday (Dec 26) approved of US beef imports, saying that the government's decision to resume the trade is not a violation of the constitution.

South Korea's opposition parties and the public had petitioned the Constitutional Court to block US beef from entering the country, claiming the move has violated their constitutional rights.

The court rejected the petition, saying that measures in the government's legal notice intended to protect consumer safety could not be ruled as insufficient.

The government issued the notice in late June, which was the last administrative step required to allow the resumption of US beef imports.

The public had protested for weeks due to concerns of US beef's safety. South Korea banned the product in 2003 after a mad cow disease case was detected in the US.

In November, South Korea's supermarket chains began selling US beef.