N.Korea promotes propaganda over mad cow disease in SK

North Korea is stepping up propaganda to spur civic unrest over mad cow disease in South Korea.

Uriminzokkiri, the official website of the communist state, said Monday, "The struggle by the South Korean people against imports of beef tainted with mad cow disease must be spread to anti-government movements." It recently said, "A person can die by eating 0.001 gram of beef infected with mad cow disease. South Korea forces its people to eat beef from cows more than 30 months old by importing the bones."

In a separate commentary a week earlier, the North`s official newspaper Rodong Sinmun said, "American beef, which has the risk of mad cow disease, is flowing into South Korea without limits." Pro-North Korea organization "Anti-Imperialist National Democratic Front" in Seoul blasted a public-private inspection team that went to the U.S., saying they went abroad simply to travel and claiming that their improper activities will face candlelight vigils by the South Korean people. The Minju Chosun, a newspaper issued by the North Korean Cabinet, also said May 5, "Candlelight vigils have grown more popular and organized that the Lee Myung-bak administration (of South Korea) will eventually lose faith."

Sources on North Korea said certain South Korean forces that are encouraging candlelight vigils by questioning the government`s actions on mad cow disease share common ground to an extent with North Korean propaganda.