Song Miryung: "We Will Create a Korean Version of the NTE Report... To Boost K-Food Exports"

Press Briefing Held at Government Complex Sejong on November 5

Song Miryung, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, announced on November 5 that, "Just as the United States creates the National Trade Estimate (NTE) Report, we will also develop a 'Korean version of the NTE' report and utilize it to expand exports."

At a press briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong on this day, Minister Song stated, "We will accelerate quarantine negotiations for agricultural and livestock products so that we can increase our agricultural exports," explaining the initiative. The NTE report is an annual publication by the United States Trade Representative (USTR) each March, summarizing trade and investment issues with major trading partners. However, the Korean version of the NTE report, as mentioned by Minister Song, is intended to include exportable agricultural products by country and outline the necessary measures required for actual exports.

Song Miryung, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, is answering questions at a press briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong on the 5th. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Minister Song elaborated, "We are in the process of identifying which K-agricultural and livestock products can be exported to each country and organizing the efforts needed to expedite this process," adding, "Through the Korean version of the NTE, we aim to accelerate quarantine negotiations to facilitate the export of our agricultural products."

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs achieved an export agreement with Singapore for Jeju Hanwoo beef and pork in conjunction with the 2025 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit. With China, the ministry successfully concluded quarantine negotiations for the export of sweet persimmons. Minister Song emphasized, "This APEC Summit was a highly successful event of national significance, but it also produced remarkable achievements in the K-food sector," adding, "In particular, if just 1% of China’s 1.4 billion people were to consume Korean sweet persimmons, it would open up a highly promising market."

Regarding the continued high rice prices, Minister Song predicted that prices would stabilize soon. She explained, "The consumer price of rice was around 67,000 to 68,000 won per 20 kilograms in early October, but it has recently declined to about 64,000 to 65,000 won," adding, "This year, heavy rainfall during the harvest season delayed harvesting, but I expect the market to stabilize gradually."

Although product prices have not increased, Minister Song stressed the need to strengthen information disclosure from a consumer’s right-to-know perspective to prevent 'shrinkflation,' where product quantities are reduced. She stated, "I believe it is the clear responsibility of companies and food service providers to inform consumers of such changes in advance," adding, "We are discussing with relevant ministries measures to strengthen information disclosure, such as labeling the weight of each chicken part, and will announce details once finalized."

Regarding the controversy over the so-called money politics in the election for the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, where President Kang Hodong is under investigation for bribery, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to conduct an audit. Minister Song stated, "While the police will investigate the alleged charges, the ministry also has the authority to audit work-related matters," adding, "We will take corrective action if any issues are found through the audit, and are considering institutional reforms to prevent similar issues from recurring."