Livestock Martkets to Reopen

The government said Friday that the nation's 128 livestock markets, which were closed last month to guard against the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, would reopen next Tuesday.

Agriculture Minister Han Kap-soo said that despite the decision to open the markets, the government would continue to carry out periodic inspections at the sites and sterilize them twice a month through August to prevent an epidemic from breaking out. Markets that neglect to adequately disinfect their cattle will be slapped with fines, Mr. Han said.

Even though the outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease in Europe, including Britain, seem to be waning, the government said that it planned to continue conducting quarantine inspections at airports and customs offices to guard against the entry of the highly contagious disease.