Talks Break Down on US/Korean Meat Trade

The United States has called on South Korea to fully open its market to U.S. beef, while officials in Seoul have said they were concerned about product safety after receiving shipments containing banned material.

According to the Guardian, the two sides held two days of talks but were unable to reach a settlement because their differences were too wide, a South Korean farm ministry official said.

"There's no progress at all and the meeting is going nowhere at the moment because the two sides are so different in terms of what they are asking of each other," deputy farm minister Min Dong-seok told reporters.

South Korea, once the third-largest export market for U.S. beef, allows only imports of boneless U.S. beef from cattle younger than 30 months, after lifting a blanket ban that was imposed on all imports in 2003 following an outbreak of mad cow disease in the United States.

Seoul said on Monday it suggested allowing both boneless and bone-in beef but only from cattle younger than 30 months, while Washington insists South Korea open its import markets to a full spectrum of U.S. beef exports, says the Guardian.

"The age issue is the biggest stumbling block and the prospects of an agreement remain very unclear, given their wide gap on a variety of issues," the deputy minister said.

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