The recent South Korean delegation has confirmed that the latest case of BSE occurred in a cow that was more than 8 years old, clearing the way for imports to resume. Korean ag officials indicated, however, that the market would likely not reopen before June, at the earliest.

Korea has long accepted international standards and seems to be willing to implement a science-based approach, which is in stark contrast to Japan. The market was scheduled to resume at the end of March but the opening was set back when the U.S. was unable to verify the age of the BSE-positive cow. -- Troy Marshall