By Xinhua,
Seoul : The South Korean opposition parties fiercely criticized government’s decision to officially restart imports of U.S. beef Wednesday, vowing to continue the boycott, Yonhap news agency reported.
On Wednesday, the government said it will put the beef agreement between South Korea and the U.S. into effect Thursday, with most U.S. beef products to go on sale in the country early next month for the first time in nearly five years, Yonhap said.
The main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) criticized the planned move.
“The government should not push ahead with enforcement of the deal,” Yonhap quoted UDP chairman Sohn Hak-kyu as saying Wednesday. “We cannot return to the parliament under such circumstances.”
The ruling party, however, said implementation of the trade deal could no longer be delayed. “It would be against international practices to delay the posting of the legal notice again,” said the party’s floor leader Hong Joon-pyo.
Three opposition parties, led by the UDP, have been boycotting the new National Assembly since May 30 and joining nationwide street protests demanding complete renegotiation of the April bilateral accord.