South Korea-Australian beef number one.

SOUTH KOREA-AUSTRALIA BEEF LEADS THE PACK.

U.S. beef imports this year were two-thirds Australian beef imports, the government said yesterday.

The finding came from a survey by the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service at the request of the JoongAng Ilbo (parent company of the JoongAng Daily). Tomorrow marks one year since Seoul agreed to resume U.S. beef imports.

The National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service said in 2009 a total of 25,701 tons of Australian beef passed customs as of April 10, compared to 18,470 tons of U.S. beef.

On April 18 last year, the U.S. and Korean governments agreed to resume U.S. beef exports here on June 26, 2008. Seoul banned U.S. beef in 2003 after an outbreak of mad cow disease in the U.S. The market share of U.S. beef in Korea was 33 percent this year as of April 10, only around half the 65 percent share it enjoyed in 2002.

Lingering concerns among consumers and the relative strength of the dollar are to blame, market watchers said. Discount stores began to sell U.S. beef in November, while department stores followed suit this month.