By Kim Yon-se
Staff Reporter

President Lee Myung-bak, who returned home Monday after his summit in the United States and Japan, is defending the government from mounting criticism on the full opening of the beef market to U.S. products.

Presiding over a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, Lee tried to calm down unfavorable public opinion about the President and the government over the beef deal with the United States.

``I've found that U.S. officials were also full of discontent,'' he said. ``They told me that Korea was their toughest negotiation counterpart.''

Lee also said, ``The government had a hard time as the beef negotiations were held simultaneously with the free trade agreement (FTA) talks with the U.S.''

One day before the summit talks between Lee and U.S. President George W. Bush at Camp David, Korea decided to allow U.S. beef containing bone irrespective of cattle age into Korea.

Though the presidential office is moving to strengthen quarantine procedures against the imported beef in the wake of the full market opening, civic groups say the government has abandoned livestock ``quarantine sovereignty.''

Some netizens, who expressed anxiety about the risks of mad cow disease, say U.S. beef should be initially served to Lee and his secretaries.

The main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) held a series of meetings with livestock organizations and farming representatives.

They denounced Lee for having described U.S. beef as high-quality and low-priced and for calling Korean beef the most expensive product in the world.

``There are also low-priced and high-quality beef in Korea,'' a farming representative said. ``As the government neglects Korean products and Korean consumers, it has agreed to import U.S. beef with risks of mad cow disease.''

Choi In-kee, chief policymaker of the UDP, demanded the government scrap the decision of full market opening.

More and more UDP lawmakers are participating in a move to boycott the ratification of the Korea-U.S. FTA.

A quarantine expert cited research data of U.S. consumer advocates, who are sounding the alarm over potential risks of consuming U.S. beef. ``Their criticism highlights the alleged laxness of the U.S. government in screening cattle at risk of being infected with BSE.''

The U.S. Department of Agriculture was supposed to test the highest risk animals, he said.

``However, U.S. civic groups found that many cows tested were not those with the highest risk,'' he added.

kys@koreatimes.co.kr