Per capita meat consumption South Korea 2017, by type
Meat sales in South Korea
In 2018, around 2.55 million tonnes of meat were sold in South Korea, around half of it being pork meat. Each household spent an average of around 55.3 thousand South Korean won per month on meat. As of 2017, the main distribution channels for meat were hypermarkets and supermarkets, with more than two thirds of meat are being sold there. According to a survey among online grocery shoppers, consumers are reluctant to buy fresh meat online, ranking second place after seafood as the least popular grocery product for online shopping in the beginning of 2019.
United States as the main import partner
In order to meet the country’s demands, around 5.12 billion U.S. dollars’ worth of meat and edible meat offal were imported to South Korea in 2018, almost half of it coming from the United States. As of 2018, South Korea is the second biggest export destination for U.S. beef exports. Additionally, due to the rise of the domestic demand in pork meat in 2018, the imports rose accordingly. Again, more than one third of the pork meat imported in 2018 originated in the United States.