Seoul: American beef and pork products secured the top position in South Korea's imported meat market last year, as reported by the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) on Monday.

According to Yonhap News Agency, in 2025, South Korea imported a total of 468,122 tons of beef products, with U.S. beef accounting for 220,427 tons, representing 47.1 percent of the total imports. This marks the ninth consecutive year that American beef has led Korea's imported beef market, although there was a slight decrease from the 48.1 percent market share observed in 2024.

South Korea continued to be the largest importer of U.S. beef products for the fifth year in a row in 2025. In terms of pork, Korea imported 551,495 tons last year, with American pork products making up 187,837 tons, or 34.1 percent, which was the largest share in the market.

The market share of American pork remained above 30 percent for the third consecutive year in 2025. The USMEF stated its intention to keep promoting American meat products in Korea, highlighting that Korea started implementing a zero percent tariff rate on U.S. beef imports this year. This full tariff exemption was achieved through gradual tariff reductions as part of the bilateral free trade agreement between the two countries.