“Targeting the halal market with a premium Korean beef brand”
Hoengseong Hanwoo cattle. Photo courtesy of Hoengseong Livestock Cooperative
Hoengseong Hanwoo beef has been officially exported to Qatar, which had previously banned imports of Korean beef. Following Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar is the third Hanwoo export destination among Islamic countries.
KOTRA, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and Hoengseong County announced on the 18th (local time) that they held a ceremony in Doha, the capital of Qatar, to showcase the first export shipment of Hoengseong Hanwoo in the local market.
According to KOTRA, Qatar imports more than 80% of its consumption of red meat such as beef. Its beef import value increased from USD 97 million (about KRW 129,289 million) in 2019 to USD 180 million (about KRW 239,848 million) in 2024, roughly doubling over five years.
Until now, however, Qatar had prohibited imports of Hanwoo, on the grounds that Korea is a country that uses foot-and-mouth disease vaccines for cattle. In response, the public and private sectors worked closely together to open the way for exports to Qatar. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Qatar and KOTRA began joint talks with Qatar’s Ministry of Public Health in April this year, and after four months of negotiations, succeeded in having Korea added to Qatar’s list of eligible suppliers of “chilled and frozen boneless beef.” After that, companies from both countries completed procedures such as food registration, and on the 13th, an initial export shipment of 80.8 kg was transported by air. The Hoengseong Hanwoo exported to Qatar is produced at Hoengseong KC, the only slaughterhouse in Korea that has obtained halal certification (a method permitted under Islamic law).
KOTRA and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plan to introduce Hoengseong Hanwoo at the “Korean Shopping Festival 2026,” which will be held jointly with three major local retail chains later this month. KOTRA stated, “We plan to promote the export volume not merely as Korean beef but under the ‘HANWOO’ brand and link it to the expansion of Korean cuisine consumption,” adding, “Based on the know-how gained from this round of negotiations, we will work to expand Hanwoo exports to other Middle Eastern countries as well.”
Lee Won-ju
AI-translated with ChatGPT. Provided as is; original Korean text prevails.
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