| Arkansas Department of Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward participated in a USDA Agricultural Trade Mission to the Republic of Korea from March 24-28, 2024. Secretary Ward joined USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, Alexis Taylor, as well as North Dakota Commissioner of Agriculture, Doug Goehring, Indiana Director of Agriculture, Don Lamb, and California Secretary of Agriculture, Karen Ross. Also participating were 48 different agricultural businesses and farm organizations.
The visit follows Governor Sanders’ successful trade mission to the Republic of Korea earlier this month where the Governor met with President Yoon, Trade, Industry, and Energy Minister Dugeun Ahn, the Korean International Trade Association and Korea-U.S. Economic Counsel, Inc, and POSCO Group.
South Korea ranks as the 5th largest export market for United States agriculture with total sales averaging about $9 billion annually over the past 5 years. American food and beverage products are well-known and highly regarded in the Korean market due to an outstanding reputation for quality, safety, and affordability.
The Republic of Korea imports many agricultural commodities that are successfully grown in Arkansas to include cotton, soybeans, rice, beef, pork, poultry, and peanuts. Arkansas currently exports over $6 million to the Republic of Korea providing the potential for significant increases in agricultural trade as we seek to continue to diversify our state’s agricultural trading markets away from China and towards our allies.
2023 marked the 70-year milestone for the alliance between the United States and the Republic of Korea, starting at the conclusion of the Korean War in 1953. Arkansas has a deep connection with the Republic of Korea with approximately 6,300 Arkansans fighting in the Korean War, where 462 Arkansans lost their lives. |
