Its export-oriented economy supports a relatively affluent society. Rugged mountains cover much of the country, leaving a relatively small arable land area for food production.
Rice dominates crop production and has long been the staple food.
Production of vegetables, fruit, and livestock grew over the last three decades, but Korea has turned increasingly to food imports to satisfy consumers' demands for greater food variety, lower prices, and convenience. South Korea is the fourth-largest market for U.S. agricultural exports. Several trade disputes reflect the country's strong drive for self-sufficiency. ERS analyzes important aspects of Korea's food and agricultural situation, its agricultural trade, and issues affecting US agricultural trade. The Financial Crisis Hit Korean Agricultural Imports Hard details how the 1997 international financial crisis severely battered Korea's ability to import, and how it altered government policies regarding finance and foreign investment, and sent the economy into an abrupt, steep recession.