South Gyeongsang Province to hold Hanwoo competition in Hadong on Wednesday

South Gyeongsang Province will hold the 2026 South Gyeongsang Hanwoo Competition on Wednesday at the Hadong Livestock Cooperative livestock auction market in Jingyomyeon, Hadong-gun. A total of 73 Hanwoo cattle entered by farmers from 14 cities and counties across the province will compete, with 22 top animals to be selected across six categories.

The competition covers six evaluation categories: five in a conformation and development assessment — female calf, heifer, and breeding cow classes 1, 2 and 3 — and one genomic ability category analyzing genetic data. Judging will be conducted by the Korea Animal Improvement Association's South Gyeongsang-Busan-Ulsan regional office.

Past competition results have been shown to influence transaction prices. At a preliminary event for the premium beef category held Sept. 3, a steer entered by farmer Park Deok-gi of Hapcheon-gun took the top prize and sold at auction for 32 million won ($23,600).

A South Gyeongsang Province official said premium Hanwoo restaurants and similar buyers sometimes bid high, factoring in the promotional value and symbolic prestige of owning an award-winning animal. According to the province, second-place winners typically fetch around 20 million won at auction — a gap of more than 10 million won compared with the top-prize winner.

Award history can also work in a farmer's favor at live-cattle conformation shows, boosting future transaction prices. The province said prize-winning cattle sometimes sell for 10 to 20 percent above the prevailing market price. With calves currently trading at around 5 million to 6 million won per head, that translates to a difference of roughly 500,000 to 1 million won.

Winning farms will share a total prize pool of 23 million won. The champion will receive 3 million won, excellence award winners 1 million won each, and encouragement award recipients 500,000 won each. Top animals selected at this competition, including the champion, will earn the right to represent South Gyeongsang Province at the National Hanwoo Competition, held every two years.

Ryu Hae-seok, director general of the South Gyeongsang Province agriculture and rural affairs bureau, said the competition serves as a platform for sharing breeding achievements and strengthening the competitiveness of farming households. "We will expand support for raising high-quality Hanwoo so that it translates into real income gains for farmers," he said.