In MY 2006/07, total imports of planting seeds are expected to increase to meet the greater demand under the government's green manure project; however U.S. exports to Korea are forecast to decrease due to the lack of new contracts with U.S. rye suppliers who have recently suffered from severe drought.

Korea plans to complete the extension of protection to all plant genera and species by 2009. Korea joined the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) in January 7, 2002.

Local production of grass and forage seeds remains negligible. Breeding and seed supply of traditional crops such as rice, barley, wheat and soybeans generally are conducted by the public sector. However, private breeders play a major role in the breeding of vegetable seeds. Chinese cabbage, onions, melon, peppers, radish and watermelon are the most important seed-propagated vegetable species and breeding efforts are concentrated on those crops. Some of the larger domestic seed companies have been merged into foreign seed companies. Because of the higher local production costs and the climate, a considerable amount of seed production is produced abroad and shipped to Korea.

The Korean government seed production policy still targets five types of seed: rice, barley, soybean, corn and potato. In 2006, The National Seed Management Office (NSMO) distributed the following types and quantities of certified seeds: rice – 16,799 mt, barley 1,520 mt, soybean – 1,197 mt, corn – 57 mt , and potato – 8,693 mt. Local corn seed distribution for forage declined to 35 mt while the remainder was for snack foods. Local production of grass and forage seeds remains negligible.

In 2005, production of vegetable seeds from both local and overseas fields increased by 20 percent and 29 percent from the previous year, respectively. Private Korean seed companies produced 74 percent of their total seed output on foreign farms , slightly higher than the previous year. All seed from foreign production brought back by Korean producers are considered as imports (Please see Tables 11 and 12 for statistical information).

Total imports of planting seeds increased in MY 2005/06 to 18,095 mt, up 23 percent from the previous year reflecting an increase in rye seed and Chinese milk Vetch imports to meet the greater demand under the government’s green manure projects. The Korean government has encouraged farmers to cultivate forage for feed or fertilizer in rice fields to reduce rice production and encourage environmentally friendly rice farming under the "Green Manure Plan" campaign since 1998. Farmers have received a 100 percent subsidy for the cost of planting seeds under the government campaign. Planting seed imports of forages are expected to continue increasing to meet the greater demand generated by the government campaign. Government plans to continue increasing the cultivated area to 280,000 hectares (HA) in CY 2010 from 124,000 HA in 2006. This currently represents about 13 percent of total land designated for rice production. Therefore, total planting seed imports are expected to continue increasing in the near future.

In MY 2005/06, imports from the United States remained relatively stable due mainly to its ability to provide a broad array of seeds for the animal feed industry. Imports of rye seed have declined as the dairy industry has been restructured due to heavy stocks of milk. Even though government’s “Green Manure Plan” expects the demand for rye seed to grow continuously in the near future, imports from the United States are forecast to decrease next year due to the lack of contracts with U.S. suppliers who have recently suffered from severe drought.

Australia supplies oat, corn, sorghum, herbaceous seed and Sudan grass. Japan supplies vegetable seed. Canada supplies rye, fescue seed and rye grass. China competes on the Korean market with Chinese Milk Vetch and Hairy Vetch (within the category of other grasses) used for green manure purposes. China also supplies herbaceous plants, fruit tree seed, vegetable seed, lawn seed and flower seed.

In 1997, Korea introduced a system of plant variety protection (PVP), which conformed to the provisions of the 1991 Act of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) Convention and became the 50th member of UPOV in 2002. The PVP in Korea is based on the Seed Industry Law of December 6, 1995, as revised on Decemb er 11, 2003. The NSMO is responsible for the implementation of the PVP.

Since Korea joined the UPOV on January 7, 2002, the government has continued to add new species biennially to the IPR protection list. Korea plans to add 31 new species in 2006 and 24 in 2008. They will finalize the extension of protection to all plant genera and species by 2009. Currently 155 genera and species are eligible for protection. Granted varieties of PVP have reached 1,592 out of 96 genera and species as of May 31, 2006. Table 14 shows the chronological approval of species eligible for protection in Korea.

Total application for PVP has reached to 2,666 varieties to date, composed of 1,453 varieties of ornamental plants (54.5%), 495 of food grains (18.6%), 426 of vegetables (16%), 134 of fruits (5%) and 157 of others (5.9%).

Seed certification is classified into national certification and internal certification. The national certification program is administered by the government and covers only the crops within the national list (NL), composed of five major staple crops such as paddy rice, barley, corn, soybeans and potato since 1998. NSMO administers the national certification for the five major crops.

The internal certification is given to NL seeds produced by a seed manager, who is qualified by a government agency based on a seed qualification test. The qualified seed manager can also produce a certified seed for crops other than those on the NL under the internal certification system.

Seeds that are not subject to seed certification can be distributed through seeds market with a label indicating seed quality. The indication of seed quality should contain the production year, packing date, seed guarantee duration, variety denomination, quantity, the place of production, germination rate, import date, importer’s name etc.

Consequently, all seeds are traded in two ways in Korea; certified seeds under national or internal certification, and qualified seeds with a label indicating seed quality. Korea is not a signatory to the OECD Seed Schemes yet.

A phyto-sanitary certificate is required for the importation of all planting seeds into Korea. Ipomoea spp. is prohibited from all U.S. states and Puerto Rico and Solanum tuberosum (tuber as seed) is also prohibited from 18 states in the United States. Twelve weeds linsted in the table 18 are currently prohibited from other countries. In CY 2005, 80 mt of U. S. rye seed was rejected and shipped back to the United States because of fungal contamination (Bipolaris specifera), which was sharply declined from 30 percent of the total exports of 3,200 MT of U.S. rye seed in CY 2004.

It is recommended that any potential exporter contact the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) office in Seoul before exporting new varieties to the Korean market. Regulations may vary in this area.

APO Address of APHIS/Seoul:

APHIS Attache
American Embassy-Seoul
Unit 15550
APO AP 96205-0001

Local Address:
APHIS Attache
146-1 Susong-dong, Chongro-ku
Rm. 303, Leema Building
Seoul, Korea 110-140

Phone: 82-2-397-4198, 82-2-725-5495
Fax: 82-2-725-5496
E.mail: george.a.ball@aphis.usda.gov

There are three separate approval processes for introducing new varieties of planting seeds into Korea. The approval process depends on seeds classified by the national listed field crops, registration of plant variety protection and notification for seed production and sale.

The major five field crops under the national list are required to pass the Value for Cultivation and Use (VCU) test and the Distinctiveness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) test. Registration of plant variety protection is required to pass the DUS, Novelty and Denomination tests. All seeds other than NL crops and PVP crops are required to submit to NSMO the Notification for Seed Production and Sale including variety denomination along with other documents such as variety characteristics, breeding genealogy, color photograph and sample of variety.

DUS tests take one to three years depending on the variety in accordance with test guidelines (TG) of UPOV or national TG. The VCU test for major field crops must go through a test of productivity and field adaptation before being approved. Depending on the seed type, the trial test for productivity takes two to three years. This test includes a one-year field adaptation test, which is conducted on sites in three or more provinces. Test fees are applied.

NSMO runs the seed-testing program. For further information on testing, contact NSMO at: Phone:(82-31) 467-0190, Fax:(82-31) 467-0160 or email: kjchoi@seed.go.kr. A test fee is required.

An adaptability test is required for all new imported varieties before introduction into Korea. To apply for an adaptability test, contact the relevant organization below

Korea Fruit Tree Nursery Growers Association (for fruit trees),
Phone: 82-417-575-5337, Fax: 82-417- 574-3855;

Korea Florist Association (for flower),
Phone: 82-2- 577-2014, Fax: 82-2- 579-1861;

Korea Spawn Cultivation Association (for mushroom),
Phone: 82-31-234-5201, Fax: 82-31- 234-5202;

Korea Medicine Herbal Association (for oriental herb)
Phone 82-2-967-8133, Fax: 82-2-965-0643

National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (for forage and grass),
Phone: 82-2- 2127-7438, Fax: 82-2-2224-7830;

Korean Seed Association (for vegetable seed and others),
Phone: 82-2-578-7637/8, Fax: 82-2-578-7639.

The Ministry of Agriculture’s Rural Development Administration (RDA) is conducting biotech research on development of transgenic crops. The National Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology (NIAB) under the RDA is currently developing 45 separate biotech traits among 18 crops and five traits in two animals. Included are rice, wheat, soybean, chili (red pepper), potato, Chinese cabbage, cabbage, Perilla seed, tomato, apple, watermelon, cucumber, lettuce, chrysanthemum, swine, chicken, alfalfa, tall fescue, lawn, tangerine etc. Herbicide tolerant rice, pepper, perilla seed, and virus resistant potatoes are expected to become the first domestically developed biotech crops to become commercially produced in Korea. Korea’s first biotech crops are currently undergoing environmental risk assessments and could be produced commercially in three to four years. No official statistics on the development of biotechnology crops by private entities are available. Rough industry estimates indicate that approximately 60 varieties are under development although they are all still at the laboratory stage. (Please refer to KS6074 for general information on Biotechnology in Korea.)