SEOUL, June 4 (Xinhua) -- Three South Korean opposition parties agreed on Wednesday to indefinitely delay opening the new parliament until the government completely renegotiates a controversial beef import pact with Washington, the three parties said in a statement after a floor leaders' meeting.

    The move came amid growing public resentment over an April 18 trade pact in which South Korea agreed to almost entirely remove its restrictions on U.S. beef imports, including those on the age of butchered cattle. The deal triggered immense public concern over mad cow disease, the main cause of Seoul's suspension of imports in 2003.

    South Korea's new legislature began its four-year term last Friday, but has yet to convene amid an escalating partisan battle over the impending resumption of U.S. beef imports. The opening of the new National Assembly was initially slated for Thursday.

    "Convening the parliament now would be a move against the public sentiment, as citizens are being crushed by police while fighting on the streets to set right the wrongly struck agreement," the statement said.

    The main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) joined forces with the minority Democratic Labor Party and Liberty Forward Party last month, upping the offensive against the South Korean government using the beef deal as political leverage.

    Opposition legislators have joined the nationwide street protests along with tens of thousands of citizens, who accuse the government of striking a hasty beef pact with Washington for the sake of better economic and political ties between the two countries.