Jeju Black
In its own language: 제주흑우
A small black taurine breed kept on Jeju Island, now a national monument
The Jeju Black is a small taurine breed of domestic cattle kept on Jeju Island in the Republic of Korea. Its coat is black, a grown bull stands about 103 cm at the withers and weighs some 386 kg, and the breed was traditionally kept for beef and for draught work.
- One of four native Korean cattle breeds, with the Hanwoo, Chikso and Heugu
- More than 3,500 head in 1992; only 170 head in 2013
- Named Natural Monument No. 546 of South Korea in 2013
- Cows average about 101 cm at the withers and 291 kg in weight
- An island survey of 1702 counted 703 black cattle on Jeju
What do Jeju Black cattle look like?
The Jeju Black is a small breed of domestic cattle belonging to the taurine group, which means it carries no shoulder hump. Its coat is black. A mature bull measures roughly 103 cm at the withers, the ridge between the shoulder blades, and a cow stands about 2 cm lower. Bulls average 386 kg and cows 291 kg. The island also has cattle of a yellow colour. In Korean law the Jeju Black counts as one of the country's four native cattle types.
Where does the Jeju Black come from?
The oldest known picture of the breed is a wall painting in Anak Tomb No. 3, a Goguryeo tomb dated to 357 AD. Early written works, among them the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty, set down the shapes of Korean cattle. Breeding on the island is documented from 1702, the 28th year of King Sookjong's reign, when Yi Hyeong-sang, administrator of the Jeju-mok office, surveyed the whole island and had the results gathered in Tamna Sullyeokdo. He counted 703 black cattle. Bones from Gonae-ri and Gwakji-ri examined by a Jeju National University professor (Oh et al., 2005) point to human keeping of the ancestors of today's animals in prehistoric times.
How the Jeju Black is bred and kept
From 1930 an animal could be registered only if its coat was yellowish-brown, the colour of the Hanwoo. The rule was aimed at limiting crossing with stock brought in from abroad, yet it pushed the Jeju Black and two other minority breeds to the edge of extinction. Since 1992 the Jeju Stockbreeding Promotion Institute has gathered animals scattered among private farms on the island and runs them as one genetic resource herd, with projects to preserve and multiply them; the aim is more than 600 head in the Jeju area. The institute also built a test using genetic markers to tell the breed apart, and the Korea Animal Improvement Association holds identity and pedigree records in a database open to the public.
Jeju Black, drawn
What the Jeju Black is kept for
Traditionally the breed had two jobs: its meat was eaten, and oxen drew carts and ploughs. It is recorded as a meat animal. In recent decades its main role has changed. Animals are now held as a genetic resource, bred so that the line survives rather than to supply a market. The 2013 count of 170 head, among them 94 breeding cows and 76 bulls, shows how small the working herd had become.
The land and climate of the Jeju Black
Jeju Island, off the south coast of the Korean peninsula, is the breed's home and its full range. The cattle were surveyed there in 1702, island farms kept small scattered herds there, and the Stockbreeding Promotion Institute collects and manages the breed there today. Yellow cattle share the same island.
Who keeps the Jeju Black
Island farmers kept the cattle, some of them in small private herds, and it was from those scattered animals that the present managed group was built. Since 1992 the Jeju Stockbreeding Promotion Institute has held the breeding herd and its staff carry out the work of preservation and multiplication. The Korea Animal Improvement Association keeps identity and pedigree records for seedstock owned by institutions or by private breeders, and its registration data for the breed can be consulted by the public.
At a glance: where it belongs
Land and climate
Custom and folk tradition
Cattle keeping on Jeju is old enough to appear in state records. In 1702 the island's administrator counted 703 black cattle, and the survey was entered into Tamna Sullyeokdo. Further back, a Goguryeo tomb mural of 357 AD shows a cow, and the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and other old books describe the shapes of Korean cattle. From 1930 a registered animal had to be yellowish-brown, a rule that shaped island breeding for decades.
Numbers, conservation and the herd book
Numbers have moved a great deal. More than 3,500 animals were counted in 1992. In 2007 the FAO listed the breed as not at risk. By 2013 the total had dropped to 170, made up of 94 breeding cows and 76 bulls, and in that year the government gave the breed Natural Monument No. 546 of National Cultural Property, a listing intended to keep it from dying out. The 2024 DAD-IS entry gives the status as unknown. The institute's target is more than 600 head in the Jeju area.
Questions people ask about Jeju Black
Where does the Jeju Black come from?
It belongs to Jeju Island, off the south coast of the Korean peninsula, and that island is its whole range. Cattle keeping there is recorded in a survey of 1702, and older tomb paintings and dynastic annals describe Korean cattle.
What is the breed kept for?
Traditionally it supplied beef and oxen for work, pulling carts and ploughs. Today it is kept mainly as a genetic resource, bred so that the line survives. In 2013 there were 94 breeding cows and 76 bulls.
How big is a Jeju Black?
It is a small breed. Bulls average 103 cm at the withers and 386 kg, while cows stand about 2 cm lower and average 291 kg. The coat is black.
Is the breed rare?
Numbers fell sharply after 1992, when more than 3,500 were counted. By 2013 only 170 remained, and the government listed the breed as Natural Monument No. 546 to protect it. The 2024 record calls its status unknown.
What happened to the breed in the twentieth century?
From 1930 only yellowish-brown cattle could be registered, the colour of the Hanwoo. That rule was meant to limit crossing with imported stock, but it drove the Jeju Black and other minority Korean breeds close to extinction.
Good reading and sources
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Jeju Black", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryCow rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Sizes, colours and customs differ from one herd, valley or breeder to the next. Folk beliefs are described as tradition, never as advice. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-16.
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