S Korea, US end beef talks without breakthrough

Seoul: South Korea says beef talks with the US government in Washington have ended without any immediate breakthrough.

South Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday after the talks had ended that the two sides had agreed only "to cooperate to produce a solution that can satisfy each other."

The comments came a day after South Korean President Lee Myung-bak vowed not to allow the import of meat from older cattle, in hopes of quelling public anger at the government's decision to resume beef imports from the United States.

Seoul agreed in April to reopen its market for US beef, scrapping nearly all quarantine regulations. Activists say the accord does not adequately protect consumers against mad cow disease.