U.S. President George W. Bush pledged Saturday to take specific steps to ensure that beef from cattle older than 30 months was not exported to South Korea, Cheong Wa Dae announced Sunday.
Bush made the promise in a 20-minute telephone conversation with President Lee Myung-bak in the evening, the presidential office said in a press release.
But opposition parties called the move nothing more than a temporary tactic to avoid public criticism, reiterating their demand that the government renegotiate the beef import deal with the United States.
President Bush told President Lee that he understands Koreans' concerns and worries about the safety of U.S. beef imports, it said.
Lee asked Bush to work out measures to prevent beef from cattle older than 30 months, which critics say, poses a greater risk of transmitting mad cow disease from being exported to Korea, according to the release.
In a luncheon meeting with Christian leaders at Cheong Wa Dae earlier in the day, President Lee said consultations are now underway through various diplomatic channels between Seoul and Washington to resolve the issue.
Stressing that priorities are placed on the protection of the people's health, Lee said the government will do its utmost so that beef from older cattle will not be imported from the United States.
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