US, SKorea move close to beef agreement

WASHINGTON (AFP) — The United States and South Korea moved closer to an agreement, after days of intense talks aimed at saving a US beef import deal that sparked protests in the Asian country.

US Trade Representative Susan Schwab and South Korean counterpart Kim Jong-Hoon held several hours of talks in the past week in Washington aimed at tweaking the deal to ease pressure off the Seoul government.

"Since last Friday, they have discussed the technical issues and exchanged views on a path leading to the reopening of the Korean beef market, and help restore Korean consumer confidence in US beef," said US trade spokeswoman Gretchen Hamel.

"We have made good progress this week and are close to reaching a mutually agreeable path forward," she said in a statement.

Kim headed back to Seoul on Thursday, Hamel said. The two trade ministers will consult with their governments and will ...