S Korea resumes US beef imports despite mad-cow protests

The South Korean government today said it would resume US beef imports this week amid hopes it has taken the sting from a crisis that has engulfed the country.

In the face of huge public protests, South Korea and the US tweaked a deal struck in April that had triggered a furore over a possible outbreak of mad cow disease.

Last week, the two countries agreed to restrict Korean imports of US beef to younger cattle – under 30 months old - which are believed to be less at risk of mad cow disease, also known as BSE.

However, hours after the new deal was announced last Saturday, a violent rally erupted in Seoul with protesters smashing police buses blocking the way to the presidential Blue House.

Activists have vowed to keep marching against President Lee Myung-bak, who was elected in a landslide last December. The protesters insist on a complete renegotiation of the original April accord. The government has rejected such calls, saying it would hurt South Korea's international credibility.

"The observation of an agreement is very important for state-to-state relations and essential to maintain national credibility on the international stage," the prime minister, Han Seung-soo, said at a meeting with top party leaders, according to his office.

Some 5,300 tonnes of US beef, shipped earlier to South Korea but held in customs and quarantine storage facilities, will undergo inspections before being put on the market, according to the agriculture ministry.