Speaking to President Lee Myung-bak on the phone, Bush expressed understanding of the Korean people's concerns and promised to make sure that only beef cleared for the purpose is exported to Korea, according to Cheong Wa Dae deputy spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye.

According to Cheong Wa Dae, Lee told Bush that Korean consumers are anxious about the safety of the U.S. beef, asking him to work out effective ways that Koreans can trust so that beef from cattle aged 30 months or older is not exported.

An official said Bush “promised to do his best so that beef from cattle older than 30 months old cannot be exported.” The official claimed that verbal promise “is tantamount to a bilateral renegotiation, as this is the U.S. government vouching for the effectiveness of the U.S. exporters' labeling of the age of beef and self-regulation by Korean and U.S. beef traders."

The ruling Grand National Party welcomed the pledge. "Now the way is clear to quell people's anxiety about beef safety. Beef from cattle over 30 months old will not be imported. Now is the time to stop candlelight vigils and anti-U.S. beef protests."

But civic groups that have been leading the candlelight vigils and opposition parties said this was only a stop-gap measure. United Democratic Party chairman Sohn Hak-kyu said, "I can't find any sincerity in it. We need a concrete measure." UDP spokeswoman Cha Young said, "What the people want is a dignified renegotiation, not an act of deception on the phone or another round of national indignity."

Liberty Forward Party spokesman Park Sun-young dismissed the phone conversation as "another attempt to cheat the people." Democratic Labor Party spokesman Park Seung-hup also called for formal renegotiations.

(englishnews@chosun.com )