S. Korea's pork imports decline more than 18 pct in 2009

SEOUL, Jan. 20 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's imports of pork declined last year due largely to slackened demand amid an economic downturn and a public preference for local meat, a government report said Wednesday.

According to the report by the Korea Customs Service, pork imports fell 18.3
percent from a year before to US$672.47 million in 2009. In terms of amount, pork
imports shrank 8.9 percent to 294,935 tons over the same period.
Pork imports from the United States declined 18.5 percent from a year earlier to
$184.22 million last year while those from Canada contracted 19.1 percent to
$99.54 million.
Imports of pork from European countries including Austria and France also dropped.
The U.S., the largest pork exporter to South Korea, accounted for 27.4 percent of
the total imports.
During the reported year, imports of Chilean pork surged 36.1 percent to $119.84
million on the back of the free trade agreement between South Korea and Chile.
Pork imports contracted last year as domestic pork consumption decreased amid an
economic downturn and people preferred local meat over foreign meat.
The country's pork imports have declined since 2007, when they peaked at $862.85
million.
jia@yna.co.kr
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