S.Korea exports halal-certified beef to Malaysia for 1st time

Halal-certified premium Korean beef Hanwoo was exported to Malaysia on Thursday, marking the culmination of seven years of quarantine negotiations for Korean beef exports that began in 2016.

In line with the official export of halal Korean beef, the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs organized a loading ceremony at Incheon Port on Thursday.

Ten cows are scheduled for official export on this day, with the exported Korean beef being supplied to local hotels and restaurants in Malaysia.

To ensure a smooth transportation process, the exporter sent three cows to Malaysia on June 8, ahead of the official export, to verify that there were no issues with transportation, quarantine, and customs clearance procedures.

On June 19, the Malaysian government sent an official letter stating its decision to allow imports of Korean beef from the South Korean government.

With this export, the number of countries that Korean beef can be exported to has now reached a total of four.

"We have succeeded in exporting Korean beef to Malaysia after seven years of quarantine negotiations, and we have secured a bridgehead into the halal markets serving a population of 1.9 billion," head of the Food Policy Office at the Ministry Kim Jung-hee said. "I hope it will be of some help to Korean beef farmers who are struggling with supply uncertainties."

Write to Jung-hwan Hwang at jung@hankyung.com