A South Korean court ruled that it is constitutional for the country to lift a 2003 ban in U.S. beef imports
A South Korean court ruled last month that a government notice allowing the country to resume the import of U.S. beef does not violate the country's constitution.
Many South Korean citizens argued that allowing U.S. beef into the country greatly increases health risks associated with mad cow disease with 96,000 people signing a petition to halt the imports saying the government had a constitutional obligation to protect the health of its citizens.
But the court found no evidence of a link between U.S. beef and mad cow disease, allowing the imports - which resumed in July 2008 - to continue.
South Korea banned the import of U.S. beef in 2003 after reports of mad cow disease in the country, but there have been signs that the perception of American beef is changing in the country.
In June the government lifted the ban and in November, South Korean supermarkets began selling U.S. beef from cattle under the age of 30 months.
Another sign of attitudes warming toward U.S. beef was the appearance of the product in prominent articles in three different South Korean women's magazines in November.
