By Kang Shin-who
Staff Reporter

Some 1,000 Korean-Americans plan to file a lawsuit against an MBC program for allegedly using false data to exaggerate the risks of American beef.

The ethnic Koreans, including U.S. green card and citizenship holders as well as students, are claiming that they have been humiliated and ridiculed by other Americans over the turmoil regarding the safety of U.S. beef in Korea, which was partially triggered by the program.

TV program ``PD Notebook'' aired last April and gave the impression that downer cows were infected with mad cow disease and misreported the cause of American woman Aretha Vinson's death. A court last July ordered the program to air a correction over its ``incorrect'' reporting on mad cow disease.

The American group will work together with ``Lawyers for Citizens,'' a local organization of attorneys. The lawyer group already filed a 25 billion won lawsuit against the TV program with 2,469 plaintiffs, claiming that the distorted TV show caused candlelight protests and damaged the livelihoods of some citizens.

Like its previous legal action, the civic group will make an additional lawsuit claiming 1 million won per person on behalf of the Korean-Americans. Hence, the compensation the group is seeking from the broadcaster will reach 3.5 billion won.

``We will submit the lawsuit by the end of the year and now focus on the trial, scheduled for December 23,'' said Lee Hun, the group's lawyer.

kswho@koreatimes.co.kr