South Korea's 2009 pork imports down 9%
A government report said that South Korea's imports of pork declined 9% on-year to 294,935 tonnes due to weaker demand amid an economic downturn and a public preference for local meat.
Import value fell 18.3% from a year ago to US$672.47 million in 2009, said the Korea Customs Service.
Pork imports from the US declined 18.5% from a year ago to US$184.22 million, while Canadian pork imports shrunk 19.1% to US$99.54 million. European pork imports also registered a decline.
During the reported year, imports of Chilean pork surged 36.1% to US$119.84 million on the back of the free trade agreement between South Korea and Chile.
South Korea's pork imports have declined since 2007, when they peaked at US$862.85 million.