Despite a challenging economic environment, the South Korean wine market continues to recover. Wine imports in the first half of 2012 totaled $67.6 million, up 12.3 percent from the same period last year. The United States remained the fourth largest supplier...

The Korean market for functional food continues to grow and under the recently implemented Free Trade Agreement with Korea, the United States is well positioned to capture and increased market share.

In 2011, South Korea was the fourth largest export market for American seafood products.  Korean seafood imports from all origins totaled $3.8 billion, up 24 percent from 2010 thanks to the recovering economy and increasing ...

The Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional (HRI) food service sector in South Korea continues to restructure as large-scale restaurant franchises and broad-line distributors gain market share at the expense of small scale, independent businesses.  Cash register sales for the restaurant and bar sector totaled W66.9 trillion ($58.7 billion) in 2010.  The HRI sector is increasingly seeking products with new taste, added value, consistent quality, and specifications catered to the food service industry...

The Korean wood industry relies on imports from over 100 countries for more than 80 percent of its consumption. In 2011, the total value of Korean wood imports increased by 12 percent to $2.6 billion. For the same period, U.S. wood exports to Korea totaled $206 million, slightly less than in 2010, but still ranking as the fifth largest supplier to the market.  The KORUS FTA, which will be implemented March 15, 2012, will bring about new export opportunities for U.S. suppliers.