South Korea: Grain and Feed Update

The Korean government's crop diversification policies made progress mitigating rice oversupply in calendar year (CY) 2025. These efforts aimed to substitute rice acreage with other crops and will expand further in CY 2026. Although table rice consumption continues to decline in favor of wheat-based bakery products and noodles, rice consumption for food processing jumped nearly 7 percent from CY 2024 to CY 2025, reflecting consumer preferences for convenience foods and record K-Food exports. Domestic rice prices rose steeply in 2025, and remained at historic highs even through the new crop harvest. Nonetheless, auctions of imported U.S. table rice remain suspended as of January 2026, meaning that for more than two years, U.S. rice has been absent from consumer-facing marketing channels in Korea.