Lee Ki-hong, President of the Korea Pork Producers Association and Chair of the Korean Pork Checkoff Management Committee, Marks 200 Days in Office

[Korea Agricultural Technology News = Reporter Lee Hyun-woo] Lee Ki-hong, who leads the Korea Pork Producers Association and the Korean Pork Checkoff Management Committee, has marked 200 days since taking office. Meeting him on June 9 at the Second Livestock Hall, Lee described himself as “a businessman centered on the field.” Saying, “I have not wasted even a single hour since taking office,” his past 200 days, driven by the resolve of “if one is determined to die, one will live,” have been both a fierce struggle against excessive regulations constraining the field and a journey of innovation to pioneer new markets for the Korean pork industry.

▲Field-centered policy response, major achievements in blocking distribution and quarantine issues=From before taking office, during his time as a candidate, Lee Ki-hong devoted all his energy to dismantling toxic provisions and regulations that threatened the survival of the Korean pork industry. A representative example was the ‘pig transaction price reporting system’ in the Livestock Products Distribution Act, through which the government sought to intervene directly in market prices. After persistently persuading the National Assembly and senior government officials through more than 40 meetings, Lee succeeded in having the provision deleted and in drawing support for revitalizing wholesale markets, thereby preserving the market’s inherent functions.

In the quarantine field as well, he ensured that voices from the field were fully reflected in policy. Through scientific sample testing and epidemiological investigation, he proved that the cause of African swine fever (ASF) outbreaks lay not in farms’ quarantine loopholes but in feed ingredients (spray-dried plasma protein), and he reached an agreement to provide affected farms with compensation exceeding the legal maximum of 80%, paying 100%. He also achieved practical regulatory easing by proposing an amendment to the Act on the Prevention of Contagious Animal Diseases to make culling compensation more realistic and by revising the foot-and-mouth disease emergency action guidelines (SOP) to conditionally allow the movement of live animals and the spraying of liquid manure within quarantine zones.

▲Laying the groundwork for livestock manure resource utilization… overcoming regulation through voluntary improvement=Environmental regulations that had constrained Korean pork farms are also being untangled based on Lee’s field experience. Lee is pushing to overhaul legislation so that livestock manure can be returned to farmland as part of resource-circulating agriculture, moving away from the regulation-focused legal framework managed by the Ministry of Environment. Through this, he has led practical easing of regulations on liquid manure use, including the use of low-concentration liquid manure, deletion of the potassium (K) standard, and simplification of soil analysis procedures using Heuktoram information.

In particular, an episode that drew major attention was when, ahead of the notice designating the Hallim area of Gimhae as an odor management zone late last year, he personally persuaded the mayor of Gimhae to postpone the designation temporarily. After promising that the association would take responsibility and resolve the environmental issue within one year, Lee established a public-private-academic cooperation system and carried out intensive consulting for 43 farms. As a result, he created a model case of overcoming regulation through voluntary improvement by proving tangible odor reduction effects, with odor levels at most farms now falling below the standard.

▲From Chef Ahn Sung-jae marketing to exports to Singapore… accelerating the opening of new markets=Serving concurrently as chair of the Korean Pork Checkoff Management Committee, Lee is focusing on elevating the brand status of Korean pork to a global level. He appointed Michelin three-star chef Ahn Sung-jae as a promotional model and launched the campaign “World-class ingredients, closest at hand: Korean Pork,” building a premium image. In addition, following the conclusion of quarantine arrangements with Singapore, about 80 tons of Jeju-produced Korean pork were successfully exported, and through a local launch event, a bridgehead was established for a high-value-added export market.

The introduction of the ‘Korean Pork Cake Certified Store’ system in step with changing domestic consumption trends and the ‘K-PORK Handon Belt’ campaign targeting foreign tourists were promoted based on Lee’s ideas aimed at future generations and new markets. Regarding an increase in the checkoff levy, Lee also expressed his ambition, saying, “There is research showing that when 1 won of checkoff funds is invested, it generates about 12.4 won in economic effect,” and adding, “I will continue discussing and consulting with delegates and leaders so that we can bear fruit on the (checkoff increase) and further maximize the value of the checkoff.”

The work achievements he has attained since taking office total 44, including campaign pledges presented during his candidacy and responses to unexpected pending issues. Regarding this, Lee Ki-hong emphasized, “The fundamental reason I ran for president of the pork association was to correct policies disconnected from the field and resolve the pile of pending issues,” adding, “Without preparation and effort, it is never possible to produce effective results.”

Lee explained, “Over 41 years of raising pigs, I directly operated facilities both large and small, and came to understand the joys and sorrows of the field better than anyone,” adding, “Based on that experience, I have long thought deeply about how to incorporate into policy alternatives that provide practical help to farmers.” He continued, “My active experience in the past serving as vice president of the pork association and chair of the environment division became a major foundation for this policy response,” and added, “These achievements were not simply accomplished overnight in the past seven months, but are the fruition of efforts made through constant thought and thorough preparation over more than eight years to solve problems in the field.”

▲Production costs, quarantine, and animal welfare: the ‘three major tasks’ that must be solved=In the interview that day, Lee Ki-hong indicated that he would not rest on the visible achievements of the past 200 days, but would also actively tackle the essential tasks needed for the Korean pork industry to establish itself as a sustainable future growth industry. The key tasks Lee must solve going forward can be broadly summarized into three areas.

First is the establishment of a financial and policy safety net to ease the burden of persistently high feed costs. Due to the prolonged conflict in the Middle East and volatility in international grain prices, feed companies are reportedly raising feed prices this month. Since feed costs, which account for 70% of production costs, continue to rise and pressure farm management, a solution is needed.

Second is prompt legislative support and dissemination for quarantine acclimation pig houses, which are in the legislative stage. To eradicate PRRS (porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome), a major cause of reduced productivity at domestic pig farms, facilities that can safely isolate and acclimate outside replacement gilts are essential. The task is to draw organic cooperation among ministries, such as excluding such facilities from building coverage ratio application through revision of the Enforcement Decree of the Building Act by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and easing discharge facility regulations by the Ministry of Environment.

Lastly is the establishment of “Korean-style modernized animal welfare” standards that take field acceptability into account. If the process of enacting the Framework Act on Animal Welfare, which the government is pursuing, results in excessive facility-centered restrictions on the number of animals raised, it will inevitably lead to a sharp decline in Korea’s self-sufficiency rate for pork and damage to farms. Priority must be given to establishing a voluntary welfare model that meets the physiological needs of livestock, such as liquid manure circulation systems and modernization of ventilation and cooling facilities, as well as to support measures and a logical defense that can minimize the burden on farms during grace periods, including the mandatory abolition of gestation stalls scheduled for 2029.

Lee Ki-hong bowed his head, saying, “The past 200 days were possible not through my strength alone, but because of the full support of many people, the dedication of staff, and the cooperation of the media.” He continued, “Our Korean pork farmers are currently cornered on all sides by rising operating costs and regulations, so during the remainder of my term, I will unwaveringly become a field-centered businessman who runs on foot to lay a hundred-year plan for the Korean pork industry.”