Hapcheon County Wins Top Prize in Division 1 Breeding Cow Category at National Hanwoo Competition

Bae Okim's Farm in Myosan-myeon Wins Agriculture Ministry Award and 5 Million Won in Prize Money
Hapcheon Livestock Cooperative Takes Bronze in Regional Cooperative Category, Following Win at South Gyeongsang Competition

A Hanwoo cattle farm in Myosan-myeon, Hapcheon County, South Gyeongsang Province, won the top prize in Division 1 of the breeding cow category at the 2026 National Korean Beef Cattle Competition.

Hapcheon County said on November 3 that Bae Ok-im's farm in Myosan-myeon won the top prize in Division 1 of the breeding cow category at the competition, held at Anseong Farmland in Gyeonggi Province from October 29 to 30.

[Photo provided by Hapcheon County] Bae Okim, a farmer in Myosan-myeon, Hapcheon-gun, poses with officials after winning the top prize in Division 1 of the breeding cow category at the 2026 National Korean Cattle Show, held at Anseong Farmland in Gyeonggi-do.

The competition, hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and organized by Nonghyup Economic Holdings, featured 38 outstanding Hanwoo cattle selected from across the country.

Outstanding cattle were selected through judging in several categories: female calves, heifers, and breeding cows in Divisions 1, 2, and 3.

At this year's competition, Bae Ok-im's farm took the top prize, equivalent to first place in Division 1 of the breeding cow category, and received an award from the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and prize money of 5 million won.

Hapcheon Livestock Cooperative also won the bronze prize in the regional livestock cooperatives category and received 1 million won in prize money.

Notably, the Hanwoo cattle entered by Bae Ok-im's farm had also won the top prize at the South Gyeongsang Province Hanwoo Competition held on October 7, earning an award at the national competition after its success at the provincial event.

Hapcheon County views the award as one of the results of its local Hanwoo improvement program.

The county has expanded the foundation for producing Hanwoo cattle with superior genetic traits by supporting Hanwoo embryo transfers and the breeding of superior cows, among other improvement initiatives.

The Hanwoo improvement program aims to improve reproductive capacity and productivity by leveraging the genetic traits of superior cattle. It is intended to strengthen farms' livestock-raising foundations and improve Hanwoo quality.

Hapcheon County plans to continue its Hanwoo improvement program and support for livestock farms, and to pursue initiatives needed to manage the quality of Hapcheon Hwangto Hanwoo and develop the brand.

Kang Byeongcheon, head of Hapcheon County's Livestock Division, said, "This award reflects the efforts of the farm and everyone involved in improving and raising Hanwoo cattle. We will continue to support the breeding of superior cows and Hanwoo improvement initiatives."

The award offers an example of the results of Hapcheon's Hanwoo improvement program. It remains to be seen whether the future breeding of superior cows and improvements in genetic capacity will lead to increased farm productivity and income.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.