News & Events | USDA Trade Delegation Sees Vibrant Market for U.S. Red Meat in Korea

Representatives from 48 agribusiness and farm organizations and five state departments of agriculture joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) trade mission to Seoul, South Korea, led by USDA’s Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor. The delegation included representatives from the National Pork Board and USMEF member Nature’s SunGrown Foods, as well as five state departments of agriculture – Arkansas, California, Kansas, Indiana and North Dakota.

The trade mission included bilateral meetings with Korean industry and government officials, visits to retail promotions featuring U.S. products and business meetings between trade mission delegates and Korean companies looking to import U.S. agriculture products.

The mission also celebrated the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, a key to South Korea’s ranking as the fifth-largest market for U.S. agricultural and related products with more than $8 billion in exports in 2023. The top two U.S. agricultural related export categories to Korea in 2023 were beef and beef variety meat ($2.1 billion) and pork and pork variety meat ($633 million).

USDA’s trade delegation visited E-Mart Traders where they observed promotions of U.S. beef and pork. Pictured in front, left to right: Howon Nam, senior vice president of E-Mart Traders, USDA Under Secretary Alexis Taylor and Jihae Yang, USMEF (USDA photo).

USDA Under Secretary Alexis Taylor participates in a sampling promotion for U.S. beef and pork at E-Mart Traders in Seoul.

Highlights from the trade mission included tours of an E-Mart Traders Wholesale Club and a Lotte Mart store – both major sales outlets for U.S. red meat. USMEF helped coordinate store visits where delegates observed in-store sampling promotions of U.S. beef and pork.

USMEF Vice President of Asia Pacific Jihae Yang and Korea Director Junil Park also attended a USDA-led roundtable discussion about the Korean market for trade mission delegates.

During the roundtable discussion, Yang reports that Mark Dries, agricultural minister-counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, shared his observations with the group about how well-received U.S. red meat products are in the Korean market and how the U.S. industry has successfully regained Korean consumers’ confidence in the safety of U.S. beef.

Funding for the promotions was provided by the Beef Checkoff Program and the National Pork Board.