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South Koreans Inspecting Stored U.S. Beef

South Koreans could be able to purchase U.S. beef in a few days. The meat, already in South Korean warehouses, must first be inspected and if it passes inspection it will then be eligible for release for consumption. However, the people of South Korea remain unhappy with the thought. Labor activists are rallying to block shipments, women's organizations are threatening a supermarket boycott and consumers remain unsure about the safety of meat from the United States.

Lifting the ban opened the door for 5,300 tons of American beef to be inspected and released from storage facilities around the country where it has been held since last October, when public fears of BSE scuttled a brief easing of the import ban. Lee Byung-kwon, a spokesman for the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, says the process of inspection has begun and the first meat that passes the test will be released from the facilities around July 3 or 4.