The U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed that the 130 kg (286.6 lb) of beef Tyson shipped to South Korea on June 2 were actually intended for U.S. sale, the ministry said in a statement.

South Korea will return the beef and will temporarily ban imports from the two Tyson plants.

The country has already suspended some imports from Cargill [CARG.UL] for sending beef containing short bones and from two other Tyson plants for shipping meat that should have been sold only for domestic consumption.

At present, Seoul allows imports of boneless U.S. beef from cattle less than 30 months old, while the United States has no restriction on age and meat cuts for domestic consumption.

South Korea, once the third-largest importer of U.S. beef, accepted in April the first shipment of boneless meat into the country for sale since December 2003, when it imposed a ban after mad cow disease was found in the United States.

Source: Reuters