In South Korea, fried hen has develop into a nationwide case | EUROtoday

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It is a warfare with blows of fins and crunchy thighs that’s combating in South Korea. The three essential grocery store chains of the nation – Emart, Homeplus e Lotte Mart – they triggered an unprecedented problem, providing fried hen at so low costs that they make any promotion sight in latest a long time pale. Dry (bucket) hen offered for lower than 5,000 gained (about 3.12 euros) have unleashed an epidemic of kilometer queues because the early hours of the morning, reworking the shops into battlefields of financial savings.

A shock provide that strikes a rustic in issue

Lotte Mart, the main model of the Lotte group, began the dispute on June 26 with per week of reductions: a 5,000 Won hen bucket, a value decreased by conventional 12,500 gained. Result: 100 thousand items offered in a couple of days within the 110 chain shops. EMArt, chief of huge retailers with over 150 branches, took the sector, who responded with an much more aggressive provide: 3,480 gained (2.17 euros) for a complete hen, for 3 days. Shortly thereafter, HomePlus launched his 4 -day occasion at 3,990 Won (2.49 euros), finishing An unprecedented “chicken trilogy” between the three chains.

The Koreans are loopy. Interminable queueswith information that began earlier than opening the retailers. The restricted amount – 50-150 chickens per day per retailer and just one bucket per buyer – has made the race much more frenetic and fed the discounted hen fever.

Fried hen as a thermometer of the disaster

Fried hen isn’t a easy meals in Korea: It is a cultural icon, protagonist of the evenings with pals, household gatherings and even of drama profitable tv (In “My Love from the Star”, the heroine Cheon Song-Yi declares his love for the well-known chimaekChicken + Maekju, hen + beer, in a scene that has develop into cult). But since 2016, when Genesis BBQ, the primary giant native franchise, has handed the 20 thousand gained for the primary time for a complete hen, the worth has achieved nothing however develop, pushed by a continuing enhance within the prices of uncooked supplies, wages and supply prices associated to the apps of meals supply. Today a hen of Genesis BBQ, BHC or Kyochon prices at the very least 23 thousand gained (about 14.34 euros). The National Comfort Food It has thus remodeled right into a small luxurious.

Avial epidemic and the function of Brazil

To worsen an already struggling market, it arrived in May 2025 The suspension of hen imports from Brazilthe primary world exporter, following an epidemic of avian affect. South Korea imported from there to 90% of the amount meant for the meals market. The block drastically minimize the provision of product, making it skyrocketed costs. And even when the massive franchising chains declare to make use of solely nationwide hen, this deficiency has had repercussions on the entire sector, particularly on firms that based mostly their provide on Brazilian meat, now nowhere to be discovered or too costly.