S. Korean department stores weigh selling U.S. beef

SEOUL, Feb. 4 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's department stores are considering selling
U.S. beef following local discount retailers' resumption of its sale in November
last year, industry sources said Wednesday.
Lotte Department Store, the nation's leading department store chain, is gearing
up for the sale of U.S beef within the first half of this year, while other
department stores including Hyundai and Shinsegae are weighing the timing, the
sources said.
South Korea banned U.S. beef outright after a case of mad cow disease in
Washington State was confirmed in December 2003. The country resumed imports of
the meat in October 2006 but then suspended quarantine inspections after banned
backbones were detected in a shipment in October 2007.
Seoul and Washington signed a new import deal in April of last year, sparking
massive protests by concerned consumers here that prompted the two countries to
limit imports to meat from cattle under 30 months old.
Under the deal, local beef importers resumed imports of U.S. beef in June of last
year, but large retailers had not sold the meat out of concerns over a backlash.
Local department stores believe that public opposition to U.S. beef has now eased
as there have been no significant problems since discount stores resumed its
sale, the sources said.
Local top three discount stores -- E-mart, Homeplus and Lottemart -- launched the
sale of U.S beef at the end of November last year to meet growing demand for the
cheaper meat amid a deepening economic downturn.
ksnam@yna.co.kr
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