In S. Korea, a Reversal on U.S. Beef Imports

Protesters gather at Seoul City Hall for a candlelight vigil against the import of American beef, which many fear will bring mad cow disease despite evidence to the contrary. (By Ahn Young-joon -- Associated Press)

In April this year, Lee moved to lift the ban, without consulting many of his own advisers, his party or the public. He did so shortly before a meeting on trade with President Bush in Washington.

New public discontent quickly surfaced. Nearly two weeks ago, Lee apologized for failing to consider South Koreans' fears about mad cow disease. But until this week, his government had insisted it would stick with completely removing the U.S. beef ban.

Rescinding the ban is seen as essential for congressional approval of a long-delayed U.S.-South Korea free trade deal.

Lee, a former business executive known as "the Bulldozer," won the presidency by a huge margin last year on promises to rev up the economy. He has said ratifying the trade agreement would accelerate growth.

But his unilateral decision in April seemed to supercharge concern about U.S. beef. Lee's political opponents, left-leaning teachers unions and sensational media reports, as well as latent anti-Americanism, spurred consumer worries.

Rumors spread on the Internet that school lunch programs would be a dumping ground for cheap and potentially deadly American beef. Lee's government tried and largely failed to knock down the rumors and assorted alarmist media reports, one of which claimed Koreans were more genetically vulnerable to mad cow disease than Americans.

The government had science on its side. The risk of acquiring mad cow disease from U.S. beef -- whether it is older or younger than 30 months -- is all but nonexistent, scientists say.

But that did not sway the protesters. Worried parents and fearful schoolchildren took to the streets for candlelight vigils in Seoul, the capital, and other cities.

As the public anger grew, Lee was unmoved. "You don't have to eat American beef if you don't like it," he said last month.

Protests this past weekend were the largest and most violent. As more than 40,000 people gathered in front of Seoul City Hall on Saturday night, police used water cannons to stop them from marching on the president's office. More than 220 people were arrested.

Cha Yoon-min, 13, attended the protest with his mother, a lawyer in Seoul. "I am afraid of American beef," he said. "I could study hard in school. I could get a good job and then I could eat beef and just die."

Lee's conservative party, which controls parliament, is warning him to shake up his cabinet and jettison ministers associated in the public mind with U.S. beef. Officials expect changes later this week.

"The new president has been arrogant," said Kim Min-jung, a professor of international relations at the University of Seoul. "His track record as a successful CEO has failed to translate into political savvy, which is what he needs in working with the public."

More demonstrations took place Tuesday night, with about 20,000 protesters in the streets around City Hall. Lee is a former Seoul mayor.

One of the organizers, Kim Jin-il, said people were not satisfied with Lee's shift on beef. "We want him to renegotiate the agreement with the United States," Kim said. "We want him to be sincere. Until he is sincere, we will march."

Special correspondent Stella Kim contributed to this report.