ASEAN Customers Study U.S. Pork and Beef in Trend-Setting Korea

To expand the range of U.S. pork and beef cuts in the ASEAN, USMEF led retail and foodservice teams to Korea to study how U.S. red meat is utilized.

Characterized by the growth of single-person households and growing demand for quality and convenience, the Korean food industry has invested heavily in new product development and has become an innovator in its uses of U.S. pork and beef. USMEF recently brought teams of retail and foodservice customers from the ASEAN region to Korea to study new products...

ANALYSIS: Korea Poised for Early Activation of Safeguard Mechanism on Australian Beef Amid US Supply

Australian beef imports into Korea could face a tariff rate increase of 24.0% as the Special Agricultural Safeguard (SSG) mechanism is expected to activate earlier than in previous years. Korea's increasing reliance on Australian beef amid dwindling US supply has long suggested an earlier activation of the safeguard tariffs. 

Under the Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement (KAFTA), the safeguard volume for this year is set at 188,437 metric tonnes (mt). Any imports exceeding this safeguard volume limit in 2024 will incur a tariff rate of 24.0%...

Fire at Korean Pig Farm; Over 18,000 Animal Casualties

In the early hours of 25th March, a fire erupted at a Korean pig farm located 50 kilometers south of Seoul, run by a farming cooperative in Icheon-si. Over 16,000 piglets and 2,300 sows were killed in the event.

The fire broke out at 5:45 am with three out of six pig barns being burnt down, as reported by Korean media sources.

No human casualties were reported.

U.S. Pork a High-Quality, Convenient Option for Consumers in Korea

USMEF is partnering with Korean retailers to develop and promote U.S. pork in new home meal replacement products.

Korean processors, retailers and restaurants are working aggressively to develop new ideas to satisfy the needs of fast-growing, single-person households in Korea, which now account for 41% of all households.

Consumer demand for quality and convenience is booming and USMEF is partnering with retailers to develop and promote new products with U.S. pork for as home meal replacement (HMR) options.

One such partnership has been an ongoing collaboration with...