By Yi Whan-woo

“I’ve preferred Australian or Korean beef for quite a long time, and the mad cow disease this time will make me exclude U.S. beef from my shopping list for sure,” said Kim Hyung-kyung, a 38-year-old housewife.

A case of mad cow disease case was detected in the United States for the first time since 2006 this week.

Another customer in a big retail shop in Seoul said that she is worried about the report and has decided not to buy U.S. beef.

Restaurants that use U.S. beef are also concerned about mad cow disease.

A steak restaurant owner in Busan said he’s following the case closely to decide whether to remove U.S. beef from the menu.

“Steak is our best-selling dish, and I’m pretty worried about what to do.”

A manager of a barbeque franchise said the chain will replace U.S. beef with Australian beef.

Schools, on the other hand, were relaxed as they have not used U.S. beef for some time.

A major retailer has stopped selling U.S. beef at its stores across the country following customers’ concerns.

Lotte Mart made the decision Wednesday along with Home Plus, another supermarket chain that resumed selling the product within a few hours. Other major retailers said they will consider the government’s reaction to the case.

“We believe U.S. beef on the market is unproblematic as the product underwent a quarantine inspection,” a Lotte Mart official said.

“However, we will halt selling the product temporarily as our customers are worried.

A number of Koreans have been sensitive about the safety of U.S. beef since the first case of mad cow disease six years ago. Lotte Mart took action to calm such customers.

Lotte Department Store, an affiliate of the Lotte Group along with Lotte Mart, has also taken U.S. beef products from their display cases.

“U.S. beef only counts for 1 percent of our beef sales and I don’t think we’ll be affected by the decision,” a department store official said.

Home Plus, on the other hand, withdrew its decision, adding the U.S. beef already on the market was “unproblematic.”

“We deem the quality of the beef is not questionable as it underwent a quarantine inspection by the government,” a representative said. However, he admitted that customers have been sensitive.

E-mart, one of the four largest supermarket chains, considers its U.S. beef supply is safe and will continue to sell it unless the government orders it not to.