S. Korea, U.S. to continue beef talks this week

    The South Korean delegation had originally planned to leave Washington to return home without reaching a deal, but abruptly canceled its plan at the request of the U.S. government. The talks will be resumed on Monday, said an embassy official in Washington.

    Seoul has been rocked with protests since early May over President Lee Myung-bak's administration's decision to lift ban on American beef, as tens of thousands have taken to the streets over concerns about mad cow disease.

    The interruption comes amid reports that the sides were having difficulty agreeing on a policy that would guarantee a voluntarily ban on shipments of beef from cattle over 30 months old from U.S. exporters.

    South Korean and U.S. officials have said they are discussing ways to support voluntary efforts "in written or any other forms" by the U.S. beef industry to label beef packages showing the age of slaughtered cattle.