"Winning Global Praise" Imgeumnampyo Icheon Rice and Hanwoo Prove Quality Competitiveness at New York Festival

The joint agricultural and livestock brand of Icheon City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Kyunghee), "Imgeumnampyo Icheon," has once again proven itself as the best brand recognized not only in Korea but also globally.

The representative agricultural and livestock brand of Icheon City (Mayor Kim Kyunghee), 'Royal Icheon Hanwoo,' won first place in the Hanwoo category at the prestigious 2026 New York Festival - Korea National Brand Awards (NYF K-NBA), which is celebrating its 17th year. Provided by Icheon City

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On April 3, Icheon City announced that it had won first place in both the rice and Hanwoo (Korean beef) categories at the globally prestigious 17th annual 2026 New York Festival - Korea National Brand Awards (NYF K-NBA), securing the honor of winning two crowns. With this award, Icheon City has continued its record of achievement, having now received the prize for the 12th time since its initial win in the joint brand category in 2012, further demonstrating its unrivaled brand value.

The most remarkable achievement this year is the strong performance of "Imgeumnampyo Icheon Hanwoo." At this ceremony, Icheon Hanwoo claimed the top prize in the Hanwoo category for the first time, driven by a rigorous quality management system. Icheon City strictly manages only contracted, high-quality farms and has established a hygienic breeding environment based on HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) and antibiotic-free certification.

In particular, during the evaluation process, Icheon Hanwoo achieved overwhelming scores from both experts and consumers for its high ratio of premium grades, consistent marbling, and rich flavor. With this, Icheon City has ushered in a new era for premium brands in the livestock sector, following its dominance in rice.

"Imgeumnampyo Icheon Rice," which retained its top position in the rice category, received high marks in all areas of the National Brand Competitiveness Index (NCI) assessment, including identity, satisfaction, and loyalty. Undergoing strict quality processes such as monthly testing for 463 types of pesticide residues and DNA analysis, Icheon rice has already been recognized for its value not only domestically but also internationally.

In fact, Icheon rice has achieved five consecutive years of exports to the U.S. market and, through a business agreement with Kukkiwon in 2025, is actively pursuing global marketing that combines K-culture, striving to become "the rice of the world."

Mayor Kim Kyunghee of Icheon City stated, "This valuable achievement is the result of the dedication of our agricultural and livestock producers who have worked tirelessly, and the unwavering trust of our consumers. On the occasion of this award, we will not only increase farmers' income but also foster this brand as a global premium product that can compete in the international market, in line with the elevated status of K-food worldwide."

Notably, in this evaluation, Icheon Hanwoo maintained a high ratio of premium grades, consistent marbling, and rich flavor, earning overwhelming scores from both the expert panel and consumer awareness surveys.

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