SEOUL, May 12 (Xinhua) -- South Korean Defense Ministry announced on Monday that it will feed its 680,000-strong military forces only with locally grown boneless beef in an effort to support local cattle farmers.

    The Ministry of Defense said in a press release that it will conduct the measure from August, as a contract with exporters of foreign beef, mostly Australian, will expire at the end of July.

    The measure only applies to boneless meat, the ministry stressed.

    In case of bone-in beef, the military will buy half from local farmers, and half from Australia, it added.

    The decision is regarded as a gesture by the South Korean government to comfort local cattle farmers who are criticizing the government plan to fully reopen the beef market to the United States.

    South Korea is set to reopen its market to U.S. beef with almost no restrictions this week.

    Civic groups and peasants in South Korea are strongly against the reopening of beef market to the United States without strict restrictions as they are worried about a potential mad cow disease outbreak in the country.

    South Korea banned U.S. beef imports in 2003 following reports of mad cow disease in the United States.

    Before the 2003 ban, South Korea was the world's third-largest importer of U.S. beef.