Malaysia has permitted the import hanwoo beef from South Korea starting June 2023. This marks the first international export market for halal-certified Korean beef and the South Korean government is aiming to grow the exports of hanwoo beef to more Muslim-majority countries by this year.
Chung Hwang Keun, South Korea’s Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), expressed that the expansion of hanwoo beef exports is expected to boost trade figures with Malaysia in 2023, surpassing last year’s record of USD 26.7 billion. The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), responsible for halal certification of exports, has granted its final approval for the export deal after conducting inspections from January to February 2023. Furthermore, JAKIM played a crucial role in facilitating the establishment of South Korea’s first halal-certified slaughterhouse in Hongcheon, Gangwon Province.
As part of its development plan, MAFRA has already completed negotiations on export inspections to other Muslim-majorities countries that require halal certification, including Indonesia and United Arab Emirates. South Korea is anticipated to export a total of 1,875 tons of hanwoo beef in three years or around 2,500 cows annually. The quantity is greater than 13 times the 44 tones exported in 2022.
(Sources: Korea Times, New Straits Times)
