SEOUL (AP) -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice insisted Saturday that U.S. beef is safe to eat and urged South Koreans to accept their government's decision to lift a ban on the products.

Since the South Korean government lifted its ban on American beef imports last month, activists have been demonstrating on the streets of Seoul to voice their concerns about the possible health risks. As officials began inspecting U.S. beef Friday, hundreds of labor activists blocked customs storage facilities.
""I can only say that American beef is safe and we hope that in time the South Korean people will listen to that and will be willing to listen to what their government is saying and what we're saying,"" Rice told reporters en route to Seoul. ""The U.S. believes strongly in the safety of its product.""
She said she also hopes the beef controversy won't distract from important issues facing the U.S. and South Korea, most notably the six-nation talks over North Korea's nuclear program.
""This is a broad agenda,"" Rice said. ""The trade issue is important and it's part of a broad relationship with South Korea that is working very well.""
U.S. beef had been banned from South Korea for more than four years, since the first case of mad cow disease in the U.S. was discovered in late 2003. The lifting of the ban led to widespread protests, prompting the entire South Korean cabinet to offer to resign and leading President Lee Myung-bak to reshuffle his top advisers.