K-Food Exports Rely Heavily On US, China, Japan

SEOUL, Jan 18 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- South Korea’s exports of agricultural and food products remain heavily concentrated in the United States, China and Japan, data showed on Sunday, highlighting the need to diversify markets to sustain growth, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Outbound shipments of farm produce and food items reached a record US$10.2 billion in 2025, with 45.6 per cent going to the three largest markets — the United States, China and Japan — according to data from the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corp.

The United States ranked first with US$1.8 billion in imports of South Korean food products, accounting for 17.5 per cent of total food exports, followed by China with a 15.4 per cent share and Japan with 12.7 per cent.

Exports to the European Union, including United Kingdom, totalled US$773 million, or 7.5 per cent of the total, while shipments to Middle Eastern countries — such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Oman, accounted for about 4 per cent.

In response, the government and industry have stepped up efforts to develop new markets.

The agriculture ministry launched a public–private task force in December to identify strategic products by region, promote projects for market entry and expand support measures for export growth.

Authorities are also increasing outreach to buyers from emerging markets through biannual trade consultations and strengthening local marketing efforts.

The government designated five countries, including South Africa and Chile, as priority markets last year and has decided to expand the list to include Argentina, Qatar, Turkey, Ghana and India.

“We are expanding into second- and third-tier cities in the United States, China and Japan, rather than focusing only on major cities.

“We are also working to foster growth in the Middle East and Africa as strategic markets,” a ministry official said.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP