FAS/Seoul Monitoring of Media Reporting on Agricultural Issues 

Today's Date: Friday,  January 24,  2025

For Coverage:  January 18 ~  24, 2025

Imported frozen strawberries on the rise
https://www.nongmin.com/article/20250122500635
Summary:  Imports of frozen strawberries saw a significant increase last year, rising by 31.3% to 16,774 tons compared to the previous year.  The growing demand for processed products, such as desserts in cafes and bakeries, has led many companies to opt for cheaper imported frozen strawberries, as domestic strawberries are more expensive.  This surge in imports is causing concern among local strawberry producers, with fears that it will drive down prices for fresh strawberries, especially if imports continue to flood the market.

Additional TRQs to be applied on fruits
http://www.foodnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=111732
Summary:  The government plans to apply additional reduced TRQs on fruits such as oranges, bananas, and pineapples to maintain stability of supply and demand.  According to the revised tariff rates released on January 23^rd, the tariff rate only for the volume of 10,000 tons of oranges imported by February 28^th this year will be reduced from 50% to 20%.  In addition, a 0% tariff rate will be applied on bananas (200,000 tons), pineapples (46,000 tons), mangoes (25,000 tons), etc. which are imported by June this year, and during the same period, durian (1,700 tons) and mandarin (2,800 tons) will be subject to apply a 15% and 20% tariff rate, respectively.

Food grain consumption has been declining for 44 years
https://biz.chosun.com/policy/policy_sub/2025/01/23/5N5NLL233VELROIGIMSMJ7N5SE/?utm_source=naver&utm_medium=original&utm_campaign=biz
Summary:  According to a survey result on grain consumption conducted by Statistics Korea, on January 23^rd, per capita grain consumption including rice and other grain in 2024 decreased by 0.3% (0.2kg) year-on-year to 64.4kg, about half of 120.5kg in 1994.  Among others, rice consumption was 55.8kg, down 1.1% (0.6kg) year-on-year, which means the average rice consumption per day was 152.9 grams last year.  The other grain consumption, on the other hand, increased by 4.9% (0.4kg) to 8.6kg year-on-year, and the rice consumption in the food and beverage manufacturing sectors was 873,363 tons, a 6.9% increase of 56,242 tons.

Craft beer market expands, diversifies following eased regulations
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2025/01/129_390856.html
Summary:  The Fair Trade Commission (FTC) in Korea said that the domestic craft beer market has become larger and more diverse due to the government’s efforts to ease regulations for the domestic small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) breweries.  The government measures such as improved taxation system and expanded distributive means for the breweries have promoted fair competition between SMEs and larger breweries so that they could provide a wide range of products and reduce retail prices.

Trump gov't unlikely to place heavy tariffs on Korea's food exports: agriculture minister
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2025/01/129_390754.html
Summary:  Minister Song Mi-ryung expressed confidence that the Trump administration would not impose significant tariffs on Korean food exports, which include popular items like instant noodles, kimchi, and desserts, given their strong demand in the U.S. market.  Despite falling short of 2024 export targets, the ministry raised its 2025 export goal to $14.5 billion, with $11 billion allocated for food products, emphasizing growth momentum in diverse categories.  The ministry plans to expand exports beyond major cities in the U.S., China, and Japan to smaller cities and Central and South American markets.

MFDS announces 2025 food safety policy plan: Mandatory nutrition labeling for franchise-prepared foods
http://www.foodnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=111682
Summary:  The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) plans to strengthen online market monitoring and crack down on illegal overseas direct purchases while focusing on high-consumption foods prone to mass food poisoning to enhance public safety.  Additionally, it aims to implement smart administrative services for citizens, utilizing digital technologies like AI for food-related consultations.  The 2025 policy emphasizes building safety policies and regulatory systems that respond to rapidly changing social and technological environments, with four key strategies: safety, care, growth, and innovation.

Enhancing agri-food products, exploring new markets, and leveraging Hallyu: Comprehensive support for export businesses
http://www.foodnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=111690
Summary:  The Korean government aims to achieve record-high agri-food exports in 2025 by supporting premium product development, large-scale marketing, new market exploration via KOTRA, and Hallyu-based promotions while addressing non-tariff barriers.  In a meeting with key export companies and organizations, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs outlined strategies, including export-oriented technology development and government collaboration to create new opportunities.  Despite challenges like strengthened non-tariff barriers, export companies plan to leverage Hallyu and launch new products tailored to local tastes, supported by government programs and collaborations with institutions.

Government and Nonghyup measures prove effective... Rice prices continue to rise
https://www.nongmin.com/article/20250120500793
Summary:  The price of rice in production areas has been on the rise, with the national average price for an 80kg bag reaching 187,348 won, marking a 0.26% increase from the previous period.  This upward trend is attributed to the government's and Nonghyup's measures, including the isolation of surplus rice and large-scale rice purchases.  Despite concerns over ongoing low consumption, the government expects this trend to continue, although some market players are yet to fully recognize the supply shortage.

"Considering the key drivers for expanding smart farms: The future of agriculture"
https://www.nongmin.com/article/20250120500765
Summary:  The expansion of smart farms is a key initiative for the government's vision to transform agriculture into a future growth industry.  The government aims to transition 30% of agricultural production to smart farming by 2027, but there are concerns about the stakeholders who should lead the smart farm dissemination.  While the government promotes policies like youth-led smart farms, challenges remain, as young farmers struggle with financial burdens and limited crop options, leading experts to suggest that transitioning existing farmers with experience and capital may be more effective for scaling smart farming.

Serving sizes shrink in Korea as more people dine alone
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2025/01/419_390781.html
Summary:  Restaurant and delivery food that have been popular choices for parties and gatherings are becoming smaller in size due to the rise in the number of solo customers and single-person households in Korea.  This trend of reducing the volume and price of popular items has affected domestic fried chicken makers and pizza companies as well.  Kyochon F&B’s “Single Series” with a bucket of six pieces of fried chicken is priced at 7,900 won ($5.42) and pizza companies such as Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut and Papa Johns have all rolled out small-size pan pizzas for prices from 5,000 won to less than 7,000 won.

Ottogi promotes 'Jin Ramen' at the U.S. 'Winter Fancy Food Show'
http://www.foodnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=111669
Summary:  Ottogi participated in the 2025 Winter Fancy Food Show in Las Vegas from January 19 to 21, promoting its flagship products, including Jin Ramen, with a newly designed export package.  The redesigned package emphasizes simplicity and visual recognition with the bold "JIN" lettering and incorporates the updated "OTOKI" logo to strengthen brand identity while appealing to international consumers.  Alongside Jin Ramen, Ottogi also showcased a refreshed package for its global bestseller, "Bodeum Bodeum Cheese Ramen," aiming to enhance branding efforts in markets like the U.S., China, and Halal regions.

Starbucks Korea to raise prices of 22 beverages
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/tech/2025/01/419_390757.html
Summary:  Starbucks Korea announced that it will raise the prices for 22 kinds of coffee and tea beverages by 200 won ($0.15) to 300 won due to soaring ingredient costs and the rising exchange rate.  Based on the new price adjustment, a tall Americano will increase by 200 won to 4,700 won, while a grande and a venti iced coffee will lower by 200 won to 5,100 won and 5,900 won, respectively.  Starbucks Korea said that the price adjustments are inevitable despite its efforts to minimize the burden on customers due to higher exchange rates and ingredient costs.

Well-performing U.S. meat… Last year, it ranked first in beef and pork import market share
https://www.donga.com/news/Economy/article/all/20250117/130881865/1
Summary:  U.S. beef maintained its market share at No. 1 for eight consecutive years, maintaining a high level of preference.  The U.S. Meat Export Federation announced on the 17^th that the domestic beef import volume last year was 461,027 tons with 48.1% of that coming from U.S. beef.  In the second half of 2024, 70.2% of consumers responded that U.S. beef is safe, maintaining a 70%level for the second consecutive year.  Additionally, 69% expressed a willingness to consume U.S. beef, showing a steady upward trend.