South Korea's main opposition calls for revoking beef deal with US

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Rep. Kim Hyo-suk, floor leader of the United Democratic Party, told the National Assembly his party would push for a parliamentary resolution calling for a renegotiation of the beef deal struck with the United States last month.

"U.S. consumer organizations are saying there is a risk of mad cow disease, but our government, including the president and ministers, are saying it is safe to eat," Kim said. "Which nation's president and ministers are they-"

South Korea agreed last month to reopen its market for U.S. beef, scrapping nearly all quarantine regulations previously insisted to guard against mad cow disease. The deal, which came just hours before Lee held his first summit with U.S. President George W. Bush, was widely seen as a concession aimed at getting the United States to approve a broader trade deal.

Seoul suspended U.S. beef imports in late 2003 after mad cow disease was discovered in Washington state. Restricted imports resumed in April last year, but were put on hold again in October when a shipment arrived containing banned animal parts.

Mad cow fears have spread quickly among Korean public since last week after a popular current affairs TV program questioned the safety of American beef. It even claimed South Koreans are more susceptible than Americans and Europeans to contracting a rare sickness that can result from eating beef infected with mad cow disease.

Government officials rejected the allegations in an hours-long press conference Friday.

Still, concerns about mad cow disease have not abated, with thousands of people holding candlelight vigils in central Seoul Friday and Saturday to protest the beef agreement. A similar rally is scheduled for Tuesday evening.

Imports of U.S. beef are expected to resume in mid-May and expand in stages