South Korea opens export of heat-treated chicken products to Britain

This file photo shows a group of foreign students having samgyetang in Seoul. (Korea.net)

The government announced Tuesday the opening of exports for heat-treated chicken products, including frozen chicken, dumplings and the ginseng chicken soup known as samgyetang to Britain.

This strategic initiative marks a pivotal entry into the British market following the successful negotiation of an export sanitary and quarantine agreement for such products with the European Union (EU) in December of the previous year.

Bolstered by a robust strategic partnership established during the South Korea-UK summit last year and ongoing efforts to enhance the Korea-UK Free Trade Agreement, officials confirmed that collaborative measures have been diligently pursued to facilitate the export of chicken products to Britain.

By meticulously reviewing the UK's import regulations and finalizing all requisite export procedures, South Korea is set to capitalize on this opportunity, with Britain holding the distinction of being the second-largest economy in Europe.

Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung expressed confidence in the prospects for "gastrodiplomacy" to flourish, highlighting the recent export success of samgyetang to the EU earlier this year.

"Starting with samgyetang, which was exported to the EU for the first time in May this year, we will actively support online and offline promotions, finding new buyers and entering distribution stores so that Korean foods such as frozen chicken, chicken dumplings and chicken ham can be widely spread,” she said.

By Shin Yong-bae(shinyb@heraldcorp.com)