With the World Cup set to kick off in two weeks ... the government is playing down concerns over foot-and-mouth disease and labor unrest. The Agriculture Ministry said it is trying to complete the slaughter of contaminated animals as butchers killed thousands of cattle in areas affected by the disease. The ministry has confirmed eight cases of foot-and-mouth, but said there had been no reports of new cases this week. The outbreak has sparked concerns in Europe that football fans may bring back the economically devastating disease when they return from watching the tournament. On the political front, Prime Minister Lee Han-dong urged opposition party members and labour unions to avoid bickering and labour unrest during the month-long event. The plea came amid an influence-peddling scandal that has embroiled two of President Kim Dae-jung's sons. On Wednesday, the country's largest union said it could not guarantee that there would be no labour disputes during the World Cup tournament from May 31st through June 30th.