South Korea opposition boycotts legislature

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The main opposition parties refused to attend the formal opening of the legislature in a protest aimed at pressuring President Lee Myung-bak to renegotiate the U.S. deal.

In another setback for Lee, his ruling Grand National Party suffered a bruising defeat in local by-elections Wednesday. While small-scale, the results contrasted sharply with April parliamentary elections in which the conservative GNP clinched a majority.

The new National Assembly was scheduled Thursday to elect a new speaker, have legislators take oaths and listen to a speech by Lee the standard practice on opening day.

Those plans unraveled after most opposition lawmakers failed to attend. Ruling blocs typically do not open the legislature in the face of an opposition boycott for fear of a public backlash.

As a result, Lee shelved his speech plan, according to his spokesman, Kim Hun-jin.

The squabbling comes after Lee's government signed an accord with Washington in April to resume imports of U.S. beef. The deal has come under fire amid widespread public perceptions that it fails to protect the nation from mad cow disease by allowing beef from older U.S. cattle, considered at greater risk of the brain-wasting illness.

Opponents of the deal have held daily street protests demanding that it be scrapped or renegotiated.

Earlier this week, South Korea said it had asked the United States to refrain from exporting any beef from cattle 30 months of age or older. Still, it stopped short of directly asking Washington for a renegotiation.

U.S. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow told ruling party leaders Thursday that Washington is working hard to address South Korean worries over American beef.

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