South Korea to Ban Imports of U.S. Beef from Old Cattle

SEOUL — South Korea said on Tuesday it will effectively ban imports of U.S. beef from cattle older than 30 months in the latest attempt to calm safety concerns about the U.S. product and win support for a separate free trade deal with Washington.

South Korea reached a deal with the United States to open its market wider to American beef in April, but delayed last week the resumption of quarantine inspections for an additional seven to 10 days in the face of public safety concerns.

The agreement came after some U.S. lawmakers said Congress would not approve a sweeping free trade deal with South Korea unless Seoul fully opened its market to U.S. beef.

South Korea's opposition lawmakers said they would block the free trade deal unless the United States agreed to renegotiate the beef pact to address the public's concerns.

"The revised agreement, which will be announced later today, will include measures to ease public concerns and will effectively ban imports of beef from cattle older than 30 months," Lee Dong-kwan, South Korea's presidential spokesman, told reporters on Tuesday.

The United States said on Monday it was in talks with Seoul to calm safety concerns as South Koreans have reacted angrily to the agreement requiring them to accept certain beef cuts that other U.S. trading partners such as Japan still will not import.

Read the full Reuters story here.