American beef exporters will implement a QSA Program for Korea, slaughtering and processing beef only from cattle less than 30 months old. The U.S. Department of Agriculture will verify this and issue a certificate of sanitation. Kim said any U.S. beef products without certification from the program would immediately be shipped back.

A U.S. cattle farmer in Iowa picks up a handful of feed on his ranch outside of Dallas Center on June 11, 2008. /Bloomberg

The two sides also agreed to include in a list of banned parts four other cattle parts -- cranial bone, brain, eyes and spinal cord -- even from younger cattle, in addition to tonsils and distal ileum, which were already on the list under the bilateral beef accord signed on April 18. The four parts have been designated by the world organization for animal health (OIE) as specified risk materials in cattle 30 months or older, but not in younger animals.

Kim said the four parts have not been imported into Korea so far and there is no chance they will be imported in the future, but the two countries agreed to reflect them in the list of prohibited items due to the fears felt by the Korean public.

The talks also resulted in a clarification that the Korean government can choose which U.S. meat processing plants to inspect if there are suspicions that the QSA is not being implemented properly. The April 18 beef accord merely stipulated that U.S. meat processing plants where violations are detected more than twice will be barred from exporting beef to Korea until corrective measures are taken. The revision comes after criticism that the existing rule did not clearly point out the subject and process of those measures. Now a request by the Korean government to halt exports will require the U.S. government to promptly halt shipments, strengthening the authority of the Korean government when it comes to inspections. Kim said the results will be included in the list of additional rules governing inspection and sanitation standards for U.S. beef imports to be proclaimed in the government gazette.

The government and ruling Grand National Party have, however, decided not to rush the proclamation of the new import rules, which would mark the official start of imports. The rules will be proclaimed only when the Korean public is deemed to have fully agreed with the details. GNP spokeswoman Cho Yoon-sun said the government and party agreed these terms on Sunday. GNP floor leader Hong Joon-pyo promised the details of the talks will be fully explained to the public before any attempt is made to proclaim the new U.S. rules, following a process of informing the Korean public of the results and assessing public sentiment.

Protesters face off with police on Gwanghwamun intersection in Seoul on early Sunday morning as part of a 48-hour candlelight vigil against U.S. beef imports.

Meanwhile, candlelight vigils against the import of U.S. beef turned violent again after the government announced the results. The People's Association for Measures Against Mad Cow Disease organized candlelight vigils in downtown Seoul over the weekend, but the number of participants was well below organizers’ expectations of 100,000. Police estimated the number of protesters at 9,600 for Saturday and 2,500 for Sunday. The organizers contest these figures, claiming there were as many as 60,000 on Saturday and 10,000 on Sunday. The participation of ordinary citizens was markedly lower than in protests on June 7, 8, and 10, leaving the field to organized activists.

Their banners dominated, led by People's Solidarity for Social Progress’, the Korea Teachers and Education Workers’ Union, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, and Agora, a message board on the Daum Internet portal that represents the online protest hub.

The groups are stalwarts of overnight illegal rallies where the protesters confront police and occupy the roads. Few hide their anti-government tendency. People's Solidarity for Social Progress is a coalition grouping the Korea Federation of University Students Councils, Solidarity for Practice of the South-North Joint Declaration, the South Korean chapter of the Pan-Korean Alliance for Reunification, and the Democratic Labor Party, and was formed in September 2007, before the presidential election in December. The group also wants abolition of the National Security Law, withdrawal of the U.S. Forces in Korea, an end to the Korea-U.S. Alliance, and opposes what it calls neo-liberalism.

Internet users are becoming more vocal in criticizing violent protests, and argue it is time to recognize the government’s efforts and stop candlelight vigils. Over 110,000 people clicked on a post titled, “Who are the people still holding the candles?” posted on Friday on the Agora board. “Didn’t they watch the press conference and hear the president say that the beef from cattle aged 30 months and older will not be imported?” the writer says. “How come they just jump to the conclusion that the government will not keep its promise without giving it a chance?”

It drew more than 3,300 responses. Some said the writer hit the bull’s-eye and lamented that some people are distorting the issue. Others said this was not an issue where Koreans can sit back and trust the government. “Those who call for nonviolence have disappeared from the rally scenes, and the original intention of those remaining is to bring the country down no matter what the president says,” one user wrote.

(englishnews@chosun.com )