This week, the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) and Korea Corn Processing Industry Association (KCPIA) hosted a conference in Seoul, South Korea for starch industry professionals to learn about the superior performance of U.S. corn in wet milling.
More than 30 participants from Korea and Taiwan gathered for presentations and expert insight from USGBC members and consultants including Illinois Corn Marketing Board Member and USGBC Asia Advisory Team Lead Jon Rosenstiel; Missouri Corn Merchandising Council Vice Chairman and USGBC At-Large Director Dylan Rosier; University of Illinois Director of Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory Dr. Vijay Singh; and Global Process and Project Engineering Founder Ibrahim Yalgin.
“Since 2019, the Council has conducted studies and commercial trials to prove U.S. corn’s advantages in wet milling and increase its market competitiveness, and the strong attendance at this conference showed the industry’s appetite for U.S. products,” said Haksoo Kim, USGBC director in Korea.
Participants visited a port facility and starch plant before the conference to understand the logistical process of importing U.S. corn and how to harness it to maximize nutritional output.
At the meeting, attendees learned about the fundamentals of wet milling and the performance of U.S. corn compared to corn of other origins during a series of presentations from Dr. Singh.
In the afternoon, Yalgin reviewed efficient milling techniques that save on input costs while improving yields, and Rosenstiel and Rosier closed the event with an overview of U.S. farmers’ perspectives on the quality and applications of U.S. corn.
“Helping improve the agricultural industry as a whole and the lives of producers, buyers and end-users is a key part of the Council’s mission. Providing participants with access to some of the world’s leading experts in wet milling further establishes credibility in U.S. products,” Kim said.
“These efforts by the Council have fueled the corn processing industry’s purchase of more than 600,000 tons of U.S. corn in 2025, contributing to the $2.3 billion export success of corn and co-products.”
Learn more about the Council’s work in South Korea on the Council’s website.