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http://www.shanghaidaily.com/sp/article/2008/200806/20080608/article_362424.htm

Lee to ask Bush for help over beef fears

Created: 2008-6-8 3:15:54

SOUTH Korean President Lee Myung-bak, bruised by daily protests over US beef imports, has decided to call President George W. Bush to ask for help in ensuring no meat from older cattle will be shipped, an official said.

Lee, bowing to political pressure and mounting street protests against a deal to fully reopen its market to US beef over safety concerns, has said he would not allow imports of meat from cattle over 30 months old.

Lee's support rate has plummeted to 20 percent since he won office in a landslide in December. Thousands have taken to the streets daily to protest the deal and more than 60,000 protested on Friday night calling for his ouster.

The government has postponed the resumption of imports for a second time since signing the deal and said it would try to find a way to exclude beef from older cattle, which the public sees as more dangerous, from entering the country.

Agencies

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