South Korea managed the COVID-19 pandemic relatively well, and consumer spending on food remained strong during the pandemic due to increased home eating. Korea's overall agricultural imports are forecast to increase 17 percent in 2021 due to increased demand for imported products in both the retail and processing sectors. The United States is the leading supplier of imported agricultural products to Korea with a 25 percent market share. Ongoing socio-economic shifts coupled with elevated consumer attention to quality and value will generate new opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products in Korea for years to come.

The long-term outlook for South Korea’s Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional (HRI) sector is positive, with strong growth up until the COVID-19 pandemic. As in other countries, the pandemic hit Korea’s HRI sector especially hard. Spending on dining out and lodging in Q1 2021 was 4.5 percent lower than the year before. Employment in the HRI sector has also dropped sharply.

The United States is the leading supplier of imported consumer-oriented agricultural products to the Korean retail industry, shipping a record $5.4 billion in 2020. The outlook for U.S. products in the Korean retail industry is excellent for a wide range of products, including beef, pork, processed meat, seafood, vegetables, fruits, nuts, dairy products, juices and soft drinks, alcoholic beverages, condiments and sauces, processed organic foods, coffee, bakery products, snacks and confectioneries.