WTO rules against Korean beef distribution

The Dispute Settlement Board (DSB) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) reached a final ruling that selling Korean beef and imported beef at separate shops breaches the WTO pact.

¡°We received an official notification from the DSB that the separation of sales location itself is not discrimination but that the separate sales of Korean beef and imported beef in Korea breaches the national treatment article of the WTO pact, as it eventually resulted in the reduction of consumption of imported beef,¡± the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry announced Thursday.

Accordingly, Korea must engage in negotiations on the issues concerning the supplementation or abolishment of the separate sales system of beef with the United States and Australia within the next 45 days.

Sin Yeon-Su ysshin@donga.com