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— South Korea's president said Wednesday that his government will make a fresh start, hours after an estimated 80,000 people gathered in the South Korean capital in the largest demonstration yet against the planned resumption of U.S. beef imports.
But President Lee Myung-bak warned that dismissing his entire Cabinet might cause "a vacuum in state affairs" amid rising oil prices and other economic difficulties.
"I thought about a lot of things while watching protests last night," Lee told leaders of small companies Wednesday morning, according to South Korean media pool reports. "The government intends to make a start with a new determination."
The government agreed in April to lift almost all restrictions that had been imposed on imports of U.S. beef over fears of mad cow disease. Opponents of the plan worry it does not do enough to protect citizens.
Lee's prime minister and the rest of his Cabinet have tendered their resignations in an attempt to defuse the weeks of protests over the decision that have paralyzed Lee's government. The president has not said whether he will accept the resignations.
South Korean media have reported Lee was considering naming Park Geun-hye, his popular chief rival in the ruling party, as prime minister to win back public confidence.
Presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said appointing Park is one of several options being considered to resolve the crisis.
The rally, which continued into early Wednesday, coincided with the anniversary of pro-democracy protests in 1987, which eventually led the country's military-backed regime to introduce direct presidential elections.
No clashes or injuries were reported in the Seoul rally. Police said they arrested about 20 protesters on charges of occupying major Seoul streets and causing traffic congestion.
Lee, a pro-American conservative, agreed in April just before a summit with President Bush to reopen the country's beef market — resolving the issue that had long been an irritant in bilateral ties.
South Korea was the third-largest overseas customer for U.S. beef until it banned imports after a case of mad cow disease — the first of three confirmed in the U.S. — was detected in 2003.
Lee's government said it has asked the U.S. not to export beef from older cattle, considered at greater risk for the disease. But Lee has rejected calls for a complete renegotiation of the accord, citing possible diplomatic and trade disputes with the U.S.
"We're not considering a renegotiation," South Korean Deputy Trade Minister Ahn Ho-young told reporters Wednesday. "If we break our promise, the consequences are enormous. South Korea will become an unreliable country."
Both Seoul and Washington insist U.S. beef is safe, citing the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health.
