Beef: Why in Korea it is such a Luxury Item

If you have watched many Korean shows, you may have noticed a trend with beef. When beef is mentioned, it seems to be almost a revered item of great expense. Although beef around the world is not exactly cheap, I wondered why in Korea it seemed to be even more of a luxury item.

A Brief History of Beef in Korea

Cattle were previously only used as labor animals and seen as too important to eat. They were revered and forbidden to be eaten by the Buddhist religion in Goryeo. It was not until the Joseon era and Confucianism that the consumption of cattle was allowed, but only by the elite of society. It was not until the 1960s, after the Korean War, when people began to move from the country into urban centers, that cattle in Korea began to be consumed more by all classes.

Land in Korea is difficult to come by since it is mostly mountainous terrain, so cattle on Korean land do not have a large area to range and feed.

The Four Native Korean Cattle Breeds

There are four types of native cattle on the peninsula: Hanwoo (brown), Chikso (brindle), Heugu (black, located throughout Korea), and Jeju (black, only located on Jeju Island).

The Hanwoo cattle are said to be the highest quality, with the highest grade being 1++, and are said to rival the flavour of Kobe and Wagyu beef. In Korea, the grade of beef goes from 1++ at the highest down to a 3. The beef is highly marbled and said to be very sweet. To achieve this texture, the cattle are fed a special grain-based diet. This type of beef is very expensive and considered the highest quality in Korea.

Why It Stays a Luxury

The combination of limited grazing land, careful grain-based diets, and strict grading laws keeps Hanwoo production small and expensive. Korean law strictly regulates the Hanwoo label so that only certified native Korean cattle qualify. The scarcity makes authentic Hanwoo galbi significantly more expensive than imported beef, and that scarcity has only fed beef's status as a celebratory, gift-worthy ingredient.

That is why, on Korean variety shows, when someone pulls out Hanwoo, you can feel the room get a little quieter. It is not just dinner. It is a national treasure on a plate.

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