880-Won Pork Belly Arrives... Retailers Launch "100-Won War" Ahead of SamSam Day

Hypermarkets and Convenience Stores Compete on Discounts for Domestic and Imported Pork
Emart Offers Ultra-Low Prices on Imported Pork Belly and Pork Neck
Lotte Mart and Homeplus Also Offer 990 Won per 100g
Two Major Convenience Chains See Related Sales Surge and Expand Supply
Wholesale and Retail Prices Above Average...Attention on Price Stabilization

With March 3 "SamSam Day" just around the corner, a price war over pork belly has begun in the retail sector. SamSam Day originated from a campaign by livestock cooperatives to boost pig farmers' income by designating every calendar day that includes the number "3" as a day to eat pork belly. Sales channels such as hypermarkets and convenience stores are going all out to attract customers, highlighting price competitiveness down to 10-100 won units.

An employee is trimming pork belly at a butcher shop in a traditional market in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Cho Yongjun

According to the industry on the 25th, Emart will hold a large-scale discount event called "Goraeit Festa" from the 26th through March 4, during which it will sell imported pork brand "Tantan Pork" pork belly and pork neck for 880 won per 100g. This is 10 won lower than the 890 won offered during the same event in December last year. It will also sell "Crispy Outside, Tender Inside Square Pork Belly (100g)" for 1,080 won and "Frozen Thinly Sliced Pork Belly (2kg)" for 17,580 won. For "Domestic Chilled Pork Belly and Pork Neck," from the 28th through March 3, customers paying the full amount with an event card will receive a 50% discount; the per-100g price will be released when the promotion begins.

Lotte Mart will sell "Imported Kkeutdwae Pork Belly" for 990 won per 100g when paid with an event card for two days starting on the 26th, and "Domestic Pork Belly" for 1,390 won per 100g with an event card from February 28 to March 3. Homeplus will also offer U.S. "Okmeokdwae Pork Belly and Pork Neck" from the 28th through March 3, limited to 1kg per person, at 990 won per 100g at its offline stores. The price of the domestic "Handon Ilpum Pork Pork Belly and Pork Neck" has been set at 1,990 won per 100g, while Canadian "Bomeokdwae Pork Belly and Pork Neck (100g)" will be offered to membership members at 1,290 won from the 26th through March 4. In addition, Nonghyup Distribution, which operates Nonghyup Hanaro Mart, will also discount pork belly from the 28th through March 3. After applying all discounts, including the Handon checkoff program partnership event card discount and in-house discounts, Hanaro Mart members can buy pork belly for as low as 1,290 won per 100g, up to 62% cheaper than the regular price.

Convenience store chains have also prepared inventory for SamSam Day promotions. GS25, a convenience store chain operated by GS Retail, is running a SamSam Day pre-order sale through the Woori Neighborhood GS mobile application (app) through today, offering 500g of domestic Handon pork belly at an event price of 10,900 won, equivalent to 2,180 won per 100g. Taking into account that sales of SamSam Day promotion products at GS25 in 2024 increased 121.4% year-on-year, GS25 has expanded promotion inventory by 200% compared to last year.

CU, a convenience store chain operated by BGF Retail, is selling 300g packs of Handon pork belly and pork neck for 6,600 won each, or 2,200 won per 100g. In addition, Spanish frozen thinly sliced pork belly (800g) is priced at 10,900 won, and 500g packs of Canadian barley-fed pork belly and pork neck are each offered at 9,900 won. During the SamSam Day period, CU's chilled meat sales rose 8.3 times (737.2%) year-on-year in 2023, followed by growth rates of 49.8% in 2024 and 64.5% in 2025.

Attention is focusing on whether the distribution sector's SamSam Day discount promotions will help stabilize pork prices. Around the Lunar New Year, both wholesale and retail prices of domestic pork have been trading at higher-than-usual levels. According to agricultural and fishery distribution information service "KAMIS," operated by the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), as of the 23rd the wholesale price of grade 1+ pork was 5,371 won per kg (571 won per 100g), up 18.3% from the average year and 4.6% from a year earlier. Over the same period, the retail price of pork belly compiled by the Korea Institute for Animal Products Quality Evaluation's Livestock Distribution Information stood at 2,678 won per 100g, 13.6% higher than the average year and 5.43% higher than a year earlier.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs pointed out that pork slaughter volume has increased, but prices have temporarily risen due to movement bans imposed following outbreaks of African swine fever (ASF). In response, the government is using checkoff funds to sell pork belly, pork neck, and other cuts at discounts of about 20%, and is also considering applying tariff quotas to 15,000 tons of imported pork shoulder (front leg) and ham (hind leg) to curb price increases in processed pork products.