South Korea temporarily blocked U.S. beef imports after inspectors found a recent shipment contamina

The 10-centimeter (4-inch) piece of neck bone found in a shipment arriving earlier this week was among the kinds of parts - also including spinal columns, skulls and eyes - believed at risk of carrying the brain-wasting disease, news cable channel YTN reported.

South Korea official suspended quarantine inspections of U.S. beef as a result, the report said. After past suspensions, South Korea has sought explanations from the shipper and U.S. agricultural officials before allowing inspections to resume.

Without clearing such inspections, the American beef cannot be brought into the South Korean market.

Last year, South Korea agreed to import only boneless U.S. meat from cattle under 30 months old, lifting an almost three-year ban on American beef after mad cow disease was discovered in the U.S.

Scientists believe mad cow disease spreads when farmers feed cattle recycled meat and bones from infected animals. The disease is also believed to be linked to the rare but fatal human variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

South Korea was the third-largest foreign market for American beef before it banned imports in December 2003.

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