Elmentary schools get delivery of poor-quality beef

Local prosecutors have cracked down on 10 local beef importers who have delivered poor-quality meat that passed the term of validity to elementary schools.

The Seoul District Prosecutor`s Office on August 4 has arrested three company executives, including Lee Kwang-Suk, president of Jenice, and Chung Sang-Jin, executive director of Livestock Cooperative Trading and Marketing (LCTM), on charges of marketing beef that passed the term of validity.

The office also booked Park Joo-Young, president of Cheil Chuksan, without detention on charges of delivering beef to schools by cheating the quality grade of products. Lee has allegedly sold 20 tons of frozen U.S. beef with passed term of validity while keeping 61 tons of such beef for sale.

Jenice is the nation`s largest dairy product impoter with 120 billion won in annual sales, according to the prosecutors.

Lee Soo-Hyung sooh@donga.com