By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter

The Constitutional Court said Friday the government's notification in May for the resumption of American beef imports was constitutional, dismissing petitioners' allegations that it undermined people's dignity and infringed upon the right to stay healthy and happy.

The court said, ``Given international sanitation criteria set by the World Organization for Animal Health and other concerned information, the notification cannot be seen as a measure apparently against the government's duty to keep its citizens safe.''

According to the statement, the majority of the court's nine judges considered it constitutional, claiming, ``With no confirmation that U.S. beef causes health risks, the notification cannot be seen as a measure which might jeopardize the health of citizens.'' One dissenting judge said it was unconstitutional since it failed to fully protect people from possible health risks.

The ruling came seven months after the Ministry of Agriculture published the notification in its gazette on May 29, allowing unrestricted access of U.S. beef in Korea as long as all specified risk materials (SRMs) were removed.

Following the notification, four opposition parties ― Democratic Party, Democratic Labor Party, Liberty Forward Party and New Progressive Party ― filed a joint petition with the court May 30. The Lawyers for a Democratic Society, which included 96,072 petitioners, followed suit in early June.

Conservative civic groups hailed the decision, while progressive groups said it was a political ruling, undermining people's confidence in the Constitutional Court.

Meanwhile, the court dismissed a petition, which claimed a series of measures restricting the freedom of the press under the Roh Moo-hyun administration is unconstitutional.

In May last year, then-President Roh shut down pressrooms located in major government buildings and introduced a variety of measures to hinder reporters' activities.

pss@koreatimes.co.kr