Thousands of South Koreans Saturday staged rallies against the resumption of U.S. beef imports in downtown Seoul despite pouring rain, calling for the renegotiation of a beef deal with the U.S.

At 7:30 p.m., the protestors started marching through streets alongside the Cheonggye Stream that runs through the heart of Seoul, chanting slogans calling for the renegotiation of the deal.

Protesters had planned to hold rally in a plaza in front of Seoul's City Hall at 7:00 p.m., but failed as police blocked their approach.

Police in riot gear blocked the march, but there were no significant clashes. Early Sunday morning, police dispersed the remaining hundreds of protestors.

South Korea lifted a ban on U.S. beef imports on June 26 after the U.S. agreed on June 21 not to export beef from cattle older than 30 months to South Korea. It was the latest additional measure to address South Koreans' safety concerns over U.S. beef, which they fear may carry mad cow disease.

In April, South Korea reached a deal to import U.S. beef from cattle of all ages, sparking weeks of street rallies and candlelight vigils.

The nationwide protests against U.S. beef started on May 2 in downtown Seoul.