A Seoul court ruled Thursday that local civic groups are not liable for damages the state allegedly suffered during massive street rallies against imports of U.S. beef in 2008.

The former Lee Myung-bak administration, seeking to advance the bilateral free trade agreement process with the United States, resumed American beef imports in April 2008. The decision sparked weeks of massive anti-government street protests, the so called "candlelight movement," as many people viewed it as a hasty decision without a guarantee of safety checks against mad cow disease.

The state filed a lawsuit against three local civic groups, claiming that protesters wielded violence, wounding police officers and damaging police cars. The state demanded a total of 337 million won (US$318,000) in damages.

The Seoul Central District Court ruled against the state, saying that "there is no proof to substantiate the correlation between the protesters and civic groups."

The candlelight movement is considered to have set a high water mark in the history of street demonstrations in Korea as tens of thousands of citizens voluntarily took to the streets almost daily, joined by unlikely crowds -- mothers pushing prams, fathers with children on their shoulders and teenage students marching in school uniforms.

South Korea currently imports U.S. beef produced from cattle only under 30 months of age due to an earlier scare over mad cow disease. (Yonhap News)