SUWON, Korea (UCAN) -- Catholic groups have urged the government to completely renegotiate its U.S. beef-import agreement, even after it announced it had secured extra safeguards against the possible import of "mad cow" beef.

Father Joachim Lee Ki-soo (center) talks to press persons on June 24 in Suwon.

On June 24, the Justice and Peace Committee (JPC) of Suwon diocese, based about 50 kilometers south of Seoul, held a press conference and issued a statement urging President Lee Myung-bak to listen to the people.JPC president Father Joachim Lee Ki-soo told journalists at the diocesan office that Lee's government had agreed "so easily, within just a few days" to import U.S. beef, whereas the previous government had mulled the issue for several years.

"That made us wonder if there was something behind the hurried agreement," Father Lee said.

On April 18, during a bilateral summit, President Lee agreed to resume U.S. beef imports, including beef from cattle older than 30 months and "specified risk materials" (SRM) such as skull bones, brains and vertebrae of cattle younger than 30 months.

SRM are highly susceptible to contamination by prions, abnormally shaped proteins that many scientists are convinced cause bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or "mad cow" disease, and the human variant, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, both fatal and incurable. Cattle older than 30 months are believed more at risk.

South Korea suspended U.S. beef imports in late 2003 after cases of mad cow disease were discovered in the United States.

Since May 2, South Koreans have held candlelight vigils across the country to protest the agreement to renew imports. Protests climaxed with a rally in Seoul on June 10 that drew an estimated 400,000 people.

In the wake of the rally, the entire Cabinet offered to resign. President Lee replaced nine of his 10 senior presidential aides on June 13 and apologized for the beef deal, pledging a new start to regain public trust.

The subsequent round of negotiations with the U.S., however, did not give "any clear proof of this," said Father Lee.

After the June 13-19 negotiations in Washington, the Korean government announced on June 21 that the U.S. government had agreed to adopt a "quality system assessment" (QSA) program for age verification. Under this program, U.S. meat exporters will export to Korea only beef from cattle aged less than 30 months. On June 26, the Korean government resumed U.S. beef imports.

Father Lee said the government should undertake a complete renegotiation of the beef-import agreement. The government, however, has asserted such a renegotiation is not possible.

Church groups have organized Masses, some in public, with homilies, banners and signs, and related events such as speeches and rallies that focused on the demand for renegotiation.

The Committee for Justice, Peace and Environment under the Korean Conference of Major Superiors of Men's Religious Institutes and Societies of Apostolic Life together with the Social Pastoral Committee of the Association of Major Superiors of Women Religious in Korea and the Korean Catholic Federation for Justice (KCFJ) organized a June 21 Mass in Seoul. They also called for cancellation of a government-proposed waterway project that would link rivers and manmade canals.

KCFJ representative Agnes Park Soon-hee told UCA News June 25 that she finds it "a positive development" that several diocesan Justice and Peace Committees had individually issued statements protesting government policy.

Park also noted that these days lay Catholics are taking more initiative in responding to current events.

As an example she cited Sunday Masses lay Catholics have organized at Seoul Square, in front of Seoul City Hall, since June 8 to press for renegotiation. Such initiatives have encouraged diocesan JPCs to issue statements, she added.

On June 3, Seoul archdiocese's JPC released a statement criticizing government policies. The day before, Kwangju archdiocese's JPC also released a statement demanding the government renegotiate the beef-import deal. Daejeon diocese's JPC, set up on June 5, issued a statement four days later raising the beef-import and waterway issues.

On May 30 in Jeonju, about 200 kilometers south of Seoul, the Catholic Priests' Association for Justice held a Mass at Jungang Cathedral to urge the government to listen to the voice of the people. About 300 laypeople, priests and nuns attended the liturgy.

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