Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wylies99]

Discounters roll out holiday U.S. beef sets
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2899559

January 08, 2009
Korean retailers will be selling inexpensive U.S. beef gift sets for the coming Lunar New Year along with high-end premium hanwoo, or Korean beef sets.

This will be the first time in almost five years that U.S. beef gift sets will be sold here.

Beef sets containing a variety of cuts are one of the most popular gifts in Korea for Seollal, as the Lunar New Year is known in Korean.

Grand Department Store will sell the gift sets starting today. A U.S. beef LA galbi (tender short ribs) set that weighs 4.5 kilograms (9.9 pounds) will go for 95,000 won ($73.40). The price of U.S. beef sets will be 70 percent less expensive than their hanwoo counterparts and 20 percent cheaper than Australian beef sets.

�Out of the total 46,000 beef gift sets prepared for the Lunar New Year holidays, 5,000 are U.S. beef gift sets,� said Na Geun-tae, a manager at local discount store chain Lotte Mart.

Lotte Mart�s U.S. beef gift set (2.4 kilograms) including chuck eye and ribs, will go for around 80,000 won to 100,000 won. Comparatively, its Mount Jiri hanwoo set (3.6 kilograms) will go for around 370,000 won to 400,000 won. The discounter will start selling the sets Monday.

Also, both E-Mart and Homeplus will be selling U.S. beef gift sets at a fraction of the price of their hanwoo counterparts. Homeplus� LA galbi set (2.5 kilograms) will go for 50,000 won.

Not all stores are eager to sell the sets. Local department stores including Shinsegae, Lotte, Hyundai and Galleria still do not carry any U.S. beef, including gift sets.


By Cho Jae-eun Staff Reporter [[email protected] ]

[wylies99]

[sojusucks]

Hyping hanwoo: http://forums.eslcafe.com/korea/posting.php?mode=reply&t=144109&sid=fa5c2f792b0ce21f01b80e182ea4e479.

[Gamecock]

Now Korea just needs to import some decent American butchers so one can get a real cut of American beef in this country. I feel it's a crime every time I look at the meat here and see the bizarre ways they've cut up my American cows. What a complete waste.

[Bigfeet]

This thread is making me very very hungry!

[Cohiba]

Forget these disgusting beef sets, give me a SPAM gift set any day of
the week!

[justaguy]

[wylies99]

I'm just a proud American doing his small part to set the record straight.

[Xuanzang]

[Bigfeet]

There's no question that a lot of Korean beef farmers will go out of business. This country has little arable land, it should go with its strengths, not its weaknesses.

[victorology]

[wylies99]

U.S. beef bargains in time for the holiday

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2899656

Caption reads- Customers look at cuts of U.S. beef yesterday packaged by Grand Department Store in Goyang, Ilsan, for Lunar New Year holiday gift sets. A 4.5 kilogram LA galbi gift set is sold for 95,000 won ($70.76). Comparable gift sets of domestic beef, hanwoo, cost 70 percent more.

That Grand Dept Store location is at Juyeop subway station (311 on the orange line).

[Easter Clark]

I thought beef was going to be cheaper since they started importing. To me, $9.00/ lb ain't cheap. And I'm sure the good ol' hanwoo will outsell the US beef. Cuz in Korea image is everything:

Mr. Kim: Oh, you bought me US beef set. Mr. Park got more expensive hanwoo beef set. You are a disgrace to family and country. I keep 1,000,000 won ginseng root to myself now.

[KoreaninKorea]

[wylies99]