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Abstract
In order to estimate demand elasticities of source differentiated beef in South Korea, this
study used the quantity of an endogenous demand system derived through maximizing the
economic welfare of market participants including local beef consumers and local and foreign
beef suppliers. The demand system is then weighted with respect to quality adjustment
parameters to identify the effects of quality differences in source differentiated beef on
market demand. As implied by the high relative price of locally produced ‘‘Hanwoo’’ beef,
substitutability between local and imported beef is shown to be very weak and the own price
elasticity of South Korean beef is shown to be inelastic. Related to quality differences between
source differentiated beef, South Korean beef consumers show a preference for
Australian beef relative to U.S. and Canadian beef, perhaps due to BSE concerns.