For Rice, bovine battle overshadows promising nuclear developments involving North Korea

Enlarge Photo For Rice, bovine battle overshadows promising nuclear developments involving North Korea

Sun, Jun 29 08:14 AM

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) _ The chief U.S. diplomat has vouched for the purity of American cattle, wading into a bitter trade dispute that for South Koreans has eclipsed the long-running drama over North Korea's nuclear activity. Just one day after the communist North demolished the most visible symbol of its nuclear programs, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice faced a barrage of questions Saturday about the safety of American beef.

She told reporters she hoped this issue would not distract from other matters. "I want to assure everyone that American beef is safe," she told a news conference with South Korea's foreign minister, Yu Myung-hwan.

"We will continue to work with you to have consumer confidence in that matter." But Yu said the beef issue probably would not go away quickly.

"It will take time for that risk to be erased from the minds of the Korean public," he said. For many South Koreans, who have lived with threats from their neighbor for five decades, the nuclear issue is of less concern than Seoul's agreement to lift a ban on American beef imports in April as a way to restore strained ties with Washington.

Activists have staged daily rallies on the streets of the capital to voice fears about possible health risks such as mad cow disease. As officials began inspecting U.S. beef on Friday before it can reach markets, hundreds of labor activists blocked customs storage facilities.

About 15 sign-carrying protesters gathered outside the South Korean Foreign Ministry, where Rice met with Yu. "Rice, go home," they chanted.

Placards said, "Stop Rice and Mad Cow," and "We Don't Need U.S. Troops. We Don't Need Mad Cows.

" Later Saturday, about 15,000 people staged a street rally in Seoul, clashing with riot police who stopped them from marching into the presidential Blue House. Protesters wielded steel pipes and threw stones at riot police, who used water cannons and fire extinguishers to repel them.

Police said they arrested more than 50 protesters on charges of beating riot police and illegally occupying the streets. Hundreds of officers and protesters were injured during the rally that continued until Sunday morning, according to media reports.

Earlier rallies drew 80,000 people at their peak, but have since dwindled. U.S. beef has been banned since late 2003, when the first case of mad cow disease in the U.S. was discovered.

In the wake of public outrage over plans to resume shipments of American beef, the South Korean Cabinet offered to resign and the president reshuffled top advisers. In Seoul, Rice did manage, briefly, to address the North Korea developments.

She said Friday's destruction of the cooling tower at the North's main nuclear facility was significant, but that far more had to be done. "At the end of this, we have to have the abandonment of all programs, weapons and materials," Rice said.

___ Associated Press writers Jae-soon Chang and Burt Herman contributed to this report.

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