South Korean chicken exports reach new record

South Korea's chicken exports hit a new record high in 2020, with shipments of processed chicken up nearly 60% from 2019.

The global demand for ready-to-eat foods continues to grow. Overseas shipments of processed chicken reached US$21 million in 2020, up 59.5% from the previous year, according to The Korea Herald . Korean cuisine is gaining momentum in the global gastronomic scene, including Korean fried chicken. 

A report from the Korea International Trade Association said the jump was due to an increase in exports of packaged traditional chicken soup or samgyetang, as well as chicken breast, due to increased demand for homemade meal replacements due to the CORONAVIRUS. The report, however, also attributed this growth to the “Korean Wave,” the popularity of Korean films and music in countries around the world.

Last year, South Korea's largest chicken EXPORT market was the United States, with shipments reaching $5.9 million, or 28.1% of the total. South Korean processed chicken MEAT accounted for 2.1% of U.S. chicken meat imports, up from 0.9% in 2016. Hong Kong was South Korea's second largest export market in 2020 with US$4.96 million, up 162.4% from the previous year. Japan accounted for 22.7%, followed by CANADA (6.7%), Taiwan (6.2%), Myanmar (2.5%) and Australia (2.1%).