USDA anticipates South Korea to decrease pork and beef imports

The USDA is anticipating a decrease in South Korea's imports of pork and beef as a result of COVID 19. Imported meat is most commonly consumed at restaurants and with COVID safety measures limiting dining out, demand for foreign meat is expected to fall. The USDA expects Korean beef demand to fall to 530,000 MT in 2020 and 520,000 MT in 2021 compared to 550,000 MT in 2019. Pork imports are expected to fall to 580,000 MT in 2020 compared to 694,000 MT in 2019. Domestic production is expected to increase in South Korea as domestic pork is more commonly eaten at home.