By Kim Yon-se, Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporters

The governing and opposition parties agreed Tuesday to hold a National Assembly hearing on the controversial issue of resuming U.S. beef imports on May 7, said Rep. Kwon Oh-eul of the Grand National Party (GNP).

Earlier in the day, a group of 37 lawmakers from opposition parties, including Rep. Kang Ki-kab of the Democratic Labor Party (DLP), urged the government to immediately scrap the decision and hold a public hearing on the issue.

``We stand here to ask for the withdrawal of the agreement on reopening the market to U.S. beef because it can be a serious risk to people's lives,'' the group said in a joint statement.

The Assemblymen denounced the government for presenting no measures to protect cattle raisers, who have been hit by price hikes in feed grains and an expected plunge in local beef sales.

They slammed the administration for having agreed to import meat of cattle older than 30 months, including specific risk materials (SRMs) including brain, skull, spinal cord marrow and vertebrae.

The lawmakers insisted that even Taiwan and Japan do not import those parts because of concerns over causing a human form of mad cow disease.

They continued that the Lee government has put South Koreans' lives in jeopardy by promising not to stop U.S. beef imports.

Presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said President Lee Myung-bak will not apologize for the government's full opening of the beef market to U.S. products.

He also dismissed the possibility of the President accepting opposition lawmakers' proposals to hold a televised debate on the U.S. beef issue.

Asked if President Lee and his secretaries are willing to eat ``imported'' U.S. beef on TV ― as netizens demanded ― amid growing anxiety over mad cow disease, the spokesman said, ``The President has already eaten beef produced in Montana during his visit to the U.S.''

He also insisted that both the U.S. beef consumed in North America and products exported to Korea have the ``same'' quality.

Lee said, ``(Regarding the beef issue), Koreans should not politicize it and be divided in two,'' according to the spokesman.

kys@koreatimes.co.kr
ksy@koreatimes.co.kr