The South Korean government will decide this week whether to resume allowing imports of American beef, halted last month when it discovered a prohibited spinal column in American beef during a quarantine inspection. It is currently reviewing a response from the U.S. government on the matter and will base its decision, and any corresponding measures, on its evaluation of the response.

The Ministry of Agriculture & Forestry announced on August 20 that it had received a response from U.S. beef authorities outlining what had happened with the spinal column incident and that measures would be taken to prevent a reoccurrence.

“The Ministry is engaged in a working-level examination of the situation in order to decide what the government’s position is going to be,” it said in a statement. “We are consulting with the relevant ministries and going through the necessary procedures, such as holding a session of the Livestock Quarantine Commission, and will announce to the press what the follow-up measures will be,” it said. The announcement is expected to be made this week.

Ministry officials refused to disclose the contents of the response it received from their American counterparts.

If officials determine that the American response is insufficient it may either continue its current level of action or take a higher level of action. If it accepts the U.S. explanation and makes plans to prevent another spinal-column discovery, then Korean quarantine inspections of American beef will resume.

The ministry has halted quarantine inspections of U.S. beef since August 1, after finding a partial spinal column, which has been designated as a “specified risk material,” in it on July 29. American beef imports have been on hold since the measure was taken.

South Korea first banned U.S. beef imports in 2003, following reports of an outbreak of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

The ministry’s attitude in recent months has suggested that it is highly likely that it will accept the U.S. response on the matter. Current rules on the importation of beef allow the ministry to immediately halt American beef imports, but it chose to give the U.S. an opportunity to give an explanation, while taking what is considered a lower level of action - the halting of quarantine inspections.