South Korea replaces ministers over US beef dispute

South Korea's president replaced three ministers Monday amid the fallout from a much-criticized U.S. beef import deal, but left his Cabinet largely intact despite their offer to resign to stem weeks of anti-government protests.

Lee Myung-bak has been under intense fire over an April agreement to resume imports of U.S. beef. The deal has led to near-daily street rallies over perceptions the country could be exposed to mad cow disease. The demonstrations have grown to include opponents of the conservative Lee's pro-business policies.

The shakeup was aimed at "making a new start" while giving other Cabinet members another chance, presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said.

Lee chose new agriculture and welfare ministers Monday because of the mishandling of the beef deal, while the education minister was replaced over alleged financial wrongdoing.

The protests forced Seoul to negotiate an amendment to the import deal last month to limit shipments to beef from cattle younger than 30 months, believed less susceptible to mad cow disease. But critics have called for a total renegotiation of the import agreement, saying more safeguards are needed.

Lee has publicly apologized over the beef issue and replaced top advisers.

It was unclear whether the Cabinet shakeup would help quell lingering public concerns over the safety of U.S. beef and satisfy protesters.

Daily candlelight protests dwindled in size after the amendment but were rekindled last week after religious groups joined the rallies. On Saturday, about 50,000 people protested in Seoul in the second-largest rally since the protests began about two months ago.

However, only 500 and 200 people rallied in Seoul on Sunday and Monday, respectively, as police blocked a plaza in front of Seoul's City Hall - the main site for the weeks of evening rallies.

A coalition of civic groups that has organized the demonstrations said it will now focus on a boycott of U.S. beef and obstructing the distribution of meat to stores. Spokesman Jang Dae-hyun said Monday that the coalition will only organize rallies once a week, letting individual civic groups host protests on their own.

South Korea was the third-largest overseas market for U.S. beef until it banned imports after a case of mad cow disease was detected in 2003, the first of three confirmed cases in the United States. Eating infected beef is linked to a rare but fatal brain disease.

Both the U.S. and South Korean governments insist American beef is safe.