Jeju Black Cattle
제주 흑우
(most common name)

(local/other name):
• Cheju Hanwoo
• Jeju
local/other name (English):
• Cheju
• Jeju Native
• Korean Black

Jeju Black Cattle are an indigenous variety of the Hanwoo found on Jeju Island — the largest island off the coast of the Korean Peninsula that is also a special self-governed province of Republic of Korea (South Korea).

Jeju Black Cattle have been historically recorded in the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty (annual records kept from 1413–1865) as being a beef served to the king or used for ritual offerings.

Jeju Black Cattle are the only native Korean cattle with black coats. Their meat is known for its delicate marbling, high content of unsaturated fatty acids, and a good taste due to a high content of oleic acid and linolenic acid.

Jeju Black Cattle survive on volcanic soil and are highly adaptable to mountain grazing; they are also resistant to theileria infection.

Jeju Black Cattle were formally declared a valuable and endangered breed in 2013, so the Korean government sanctioned conservation and increased breeding. As of 2018, a total of 619 have been registered in the Korean seedstock database system of the Korea Animal Improvement Association.

This page was last updated on: 2023-05-18

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