[Editorial] Hanwoo beef must diversify export countries and expedite system improvements

Recently, the Hoengseong KC slaughterhouse, a Hanwoo slaughterhouse, has become the first in the country to receive approval for a UAE export facility, raising the possibility of a full-fledged entry into the Middle East market. Until now, although quarantine negotiations for beef between Korea and the UAE had been concluded and the market had opened, the fact that there were no UAE Halal-certified slaughterhouses in Korea meant that the export of Hanwoo was virtually impossible. The volume of Hanwoo exports last year was 49.5 tons, a 20.4% decrease from the previous year, and there has been little sign of improvement. As of August this year, Hanwoo meat exports have increased by 3.1 tons (10.3%) compared to the same period last year, reaching 33.3 tons. Over the past 10 years, a budget of 10 billion won has been invested through the Hanwoo Self-Help Fund Management Committee, but the total volume exported so far is only around 500 tons. A more proactive effort is needed to ...