Korean beef exports to Hong Kong expand under eased quarantine rules

Korean beef exporters are set to regain access to Hong Kong from parts of Gyeonggi Province and North Gyeongsang Province after Seoul and Hong Kong agreed to narrow restrictions imposed when foot-and-mouth disease is detected. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Monday that the revised quarantine rules will take effect Tuesday, allowing export restrictions to be imposed at the city and county level rather than across an entire province. The change means Korean beef from areas including Anseong in Gyeonggi Province and Gyeongju and Goryeong in North Gyeongsang Province can return to the Hong Kong market after exports were halted following disease outbreaks. Gyeonggi and North Gyeongsang exported 11 tons of Korean beef worth $680,000 to Hong Kong in 2025, accounting for 22 percent of Korea’s total beef exports to the territory. Under rules agreed in 2015, beef produced in a province where foot-and-mouth disease was detected could not be exported to Hong Kong for one year after the last reported case. Exports from Gyeonggi and North Gyeongsang were suspended after outb