President Lee Myung-bak said Tuesday (June 3) that the Korean government will not allow the import of U.S. beef from cattle aged 30 months or older in order to ease concerns over mad cow disease.

"It is natural for the government to ban the imports of U.S. beef from cattle 30 months old and older, if the majority of the (Korean) people want," Lee was quoted by his spokesman as saying during a weekly Cabinet meeting.

"The people's confidence in the government has weakened due to the U.S. beef problem. If the people are concerned, the government will have to follow the will of the majority," said the president.

Lee's remarks came after Agriculture Minister Chung Woon-chun told a news conference earlier on Tuesday that the Korean government will ask the U.S. to refrain from exporting beef from cattle older than 30 months, considered to pose a greater risk of transmitting mad cow disease, and will suspend plans to resume U.S. beef imports until Washington complies.

Weekly Cabinet meeting held at Cheong Wa Dae on June 3 (Photo: Yonhap news)

Explaining the background of the president's remarks, a ranking presidential secretary said the U.S. government is expected to understand the Korean government's position.

"The issue of whether to impose an age limit on U.S. beef imports falls under the area of our sovereign decision-making. It is appropriate to try to follow the will of the majority of the people," said the secretary.

"We expect the U.S. government to understand our position, because the domestic circumstances (in Korea) are very serious. We have belief and expectation that the U.S. will understand our situation and make efforts regarding our demand," he said.

Meanwhile, President Lee instructed his Cabinet to redouble the government's effort to improve the livelihood of ordinary people suffering from sky-high oil prices and deteriorated economic conditions.

"The most important part of our economic revival efforts is to improve the livelihood of the ordinary people. Measures to help the people feel an improvement of their livelihood firsthand are urgently needed," said the president.