Korean Beef and Pork Start Their Voyage to Singapore

Sejong, 16 December 2025 — On 1 December, “hanwoo” (Korean beef) and pork produced from Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, the Republic of Korea (ROK), were shipped to the Republic of Singapore. This milestone came just one month after the ROK-Singapore summit reached a trade agreement during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit on 2 November 2025.

On 1 December, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA), the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), and the Government of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province jointly held a ceremony for celebrating the first shipment of Jejudo-produced “hanwoo” and pork to Singapore,

The ceremony was attended by over 150 people, including H.E. PARK Jung-hoon, Deputy Minister for Food Grain Policy of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs; H.E. OH Young-hun, Governor of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province; H.E. SONG Sung-ok, Administrator of the Gwangju Regional Office of Food and Drug Safety; and representatives of exporting companies and producers’ organisations. In particular, the curtain-raising event provided a stage for the announcement of a vision to open up more markets overseas.

The first shipment to Singapore were 4.5 tonnes or KRW 280 million worth of “hanwoo” and pork. The export is significant in that Singapore, a country known for its strict import requirements for livestock products, has recognized the safety of Korean beef and pork. This outcome is the culmination of several years of concerted efforts by the central government, the provincial government, and the livestock industry to diversify export markets for livestock products.

The MAFRA, the MFDS, and the Government of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province have worked together and negotiated terms with the Singaporean authorities to export Korean beef and pork. In this process, they made particular efforts to obtain recognition from Singapore that the Republic of Korea’s system for livestock product safety and inspection is equivalent to the Singaporean system. Notably, the MAFRA has obtained official recognition of Jejudo as free of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) at the General Session of the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) in Paris in May 2025, further proving the safety of Korean livestock products.

Taking the opportunity of the ROK-Singapore meeting at the APEC summit in November, the MAFRA and the MFDS reached a final agreement with Singapore on trade terms for livestock product sanitation and inspection. Before the final agreement, Singapore’s on-site inspection took place in Jejudo in August, for which the MAFRA and the MFDS made elaborate preparations in close cooperation with the Government of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, exporters, the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, and producers’ organisations. 

In preparation for Singapore’s on-site inspection in August, the MFDS held briefings for the livestock industry to explain export conditions and other requirements and conducted three rounds of on-site inspection of export establishments in collaboration with the Government of the Jeju Special Self-Governing Province. The MFDS also provided customised consulting services for the livestock industry.

The Republic of Singapore is a high-income country that relies on imports for a large share of its livestock product supply. The beginning of exports to Singapore is expected to strengthen the foundations of the Republic of Korea’s livestock production, processing, and distribution.

At the ship-loading ceremony, Deputy Minister for Food Grain Policy PARK Jung-hoon of the MAFRA said: “We will provide all necessary support, including conducting marketing and promotional campaigns in Singapore in cooperation with related organisations, so that many people in the country can become familiar with and consume Korean livestock products. We will also continue efforts to open up other markets overseas through the negotiation of terms related to livestock product sanitation and inspection.”

Governor OH Young-hun of Jeju Special Self-Governing Province said: “Jeju Special Self-Governing Province has become the first and only region in the Republic of Korea to export beef and pork to Singapore, breathing life into its livestock farms and industry. With its export destinations diversified to include Singapore, following Hong Kong of China, the Jeju livestock industry has gained a firmer footing in the international market. Building on this achievement, we will provide active support for building local distribution networks and running marketing campaigns so that the industry can expand its exports across Southeast Asia.”

Administrator SONG Sung-ok of the Gwangju Regional Office of Food and Drug Safety said: “Exports of Korean livestock products to Singapore, which has strict import requirements in place, will further enhance the global standing of the Republic of Korea’s livestock product safety system. The MFDS will continue to work closely with related government ministries and the industry and provide effective support for addressing import regulations to expand the presence of Korean livestock products in overseas markets.”