Thousands of South Korean cattle farmers gathered outside the National Assembly in Seoul on July 3 to protest their deteriorating economic situation and demand government intervention. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jul. 4 (Korea Bizwire) – In a dramatic display of desperation, thousands of South Korean cattle farmers gathered outside the National Assembly in Seoul on July 3 to protest their deteriorating economic situation and demand government intervention. The demonstration, which included a symbolic attempt to “return” cattle to the government, marked the first such protest in 12 years.
An estimated 12,000 farmers, affiliated with the Korea Hanwoo Association, occupied the main thoroughfare near the National Assembly subway station. They wielded fans emblazoned with slogans such as “Agricultural cooperatives ignore us, the government is indifferent, and the presidential office rejects us” and “We’re returning our cattle to fight for our livelihood.”
The farmers argue that while costs have soared due to the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, wholesale prices for their prized Hanwoo beef have plummeted, resulting in significant losses with each sale.
A farmer in his 40s from Ganghwa County, Incheon, illustrated the dire situation: “A 25kg bag of feed that used to cost 9,000 won now costs 14,000 won. It costs 4.5 million won just in feed to raise a calf bought for 3.5 million won over 30 months.” He added that even without factoring in labor costs, expenses per head reach 8 million won, while sale prices range from 6 to 7.5 million won at best.
The association’s attempt to symbolically “return” cattle to the government was thwarted when police blocked 15 trucks carrying livestock from various regions from entering the protest site. (Image courtesy of the Korea Hanwoo Association)
Lee In-se, head of the association’s Pyeongtaek branch, shared that he recently had to sell half of his 200 cattle due to feed costs. “Since COVID, feed prices have risen by over 40% and remained high. I’m 200 million won in debt just from feed costs,” Lee lamented. “Hanwoo prices aren’t rising, so the more we sell, the more we lose. It’s as if the cattle are devouring us, not the other way around.”
The association reported that losses per head increased from 690,000 won in 2022 to 1.42 million won in 2023, and are projected to reach 2 million won this year.
In a poignant gesture, 12 leaders of the association, including Chairman Min Kyung-cheon, shaved their heads while wearing sashes demanding lower feed prices and guaranteed minimum production costs. “President Yoon Suk Yeol promised to make farmers prosperous, and agricultural cooperatives claim to exist for farmers’ happiness, but neither has fulfilled their roles,” Min declared after the head-shaving ceremony.
Thousands of South Korean cattle farmers gathered outside the National Assembly in Seoul on July 3 to protest their deteriorating economic situation and demand government intervention. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
The association’s attempt to symbolically “return” cattle to the government was thwarted when police blocked 15 trucks carrying livestock from various regions from entering the protest site. A subsequent effort to deliver model cows on trucks was also stopped by police barricades after a brief standoff.
The farmers are calling for the enactment of the “Sustainable Hanwoo Industry Support Act,” government purchase of 20,000 cattle, and measures to reduce feed prices. A previous version of the bill passed the National Assembly in May but was vetoed by President Yoon.
Legislators from both major parties who attended the rally promised to pass the Hanwoo bill in the next parliamentary session. Eoh Kiy-ku of the Democratic Party, newly appointed as chair of the parliamentary agriculture committee, pledged to make it the committee’s first order of business. Park Deok-heum of the People Power Party apologized for the previous failure to enact the law and promised to support its passage.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
