Unauthorized Beef Shipment Prompts Korean Ban on Two Major U.S. Producers

U.S. inspectors wrongly allowed an unauthorized company to ship beef to South Korea that now has triggered a wider ban on two major U.S. processors, the Agriculture Department said Monday.

The ban punctuated long-running efforts by USDA to restore sales to South Korea, the long-time No. 3 customer for U.S. beef.

Japan and South Korea banned U.S. beef following discovery of the first U.S. case of mad cow disease in December 2003. U.S. officials have worked for years to reopen both markets.

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