SEOUL, May 29 (UPI) -- South Korea will discuss beef imports with the United States that could lead to a resolution of a partial ban.
In a news conference in Seoul Monday, Minister of Finance and Economy Kwon O-kyu said South Korea has accepted a U.S. demand to have beef talks following an international ruling that mad cow disease is under control in the United States.
"We will engage in talks on the import rule revision issue in accordance with internationally set standards and scientific procedures," Kwon said. South Korea will also conduct its own risk assessment of U.S. beef, he said.
The move comes after a recent ruling by the World Organization for Animal Health that the United States was a "controlled risk nation."
South Korea, previously the No. 3 export market for U.S. beef, banned imports of American beef in 2003 after mad cow disease was discovered in the United States.
South Korea agreed last year to resume shipments, but only boneless meat from cattle younger than 30 months old, to reduce risks of the animal disease.
