March 4, 2025
SEOUL – The average South Korean consumed an estimated 30 kilograms of pork last year, according to data released Monday.
South Korea’s livestock cooperative designated March 3 as Samgyeopsal Day — the date referring to the three layers of fat that give the cut its name — to promote sales of pork belly, with local retailers often running special discounts.
According to data from the Korea Rural Economic Institute, last year’s per capita pork consumption marked a 6.8 percent increase from the five-year average of 28.1 kilograms and a 1.4 percent rise from 2023’s 29.6 kilograms.
The five-year average excludes the highest and lowest figures from the 2019-2023 period.
Pork consumption was nearly double that of chicken (15.2 kilograms) and beef (14.9 kilograms).
Koreans’ preference for pork was also reflected in a consumer survey conducted by KREI last December, which found that 63.2 percent of respondents chose pork as their preferred meat, followed by beef (21.1 percent), chicken (14.7 percent) and duck (1.0 percent).
Among pork cuts, samgyeopsal, or pork belly, was the most favored, with 60 percent of respondents selecting it as their top choice.
Meanwhile, wholesale pork prices are forecast to range between 5,100 and 5,300 won ($3.49-$3.63) per kilogram this year, close to last year’s average of 5,239 won per kilogram.