Rice was the most valuable crop and yields were impressive. As famous by Donald S. Macdonald, rising wage levels and land values have made it expensive to produce. Rice described about 90% of total grain production and over 40% of farm income; the 1988 rice crop was 6.5 million tons. Rice was imported in the 1980s, but the amount depended on the success of domestic harvests. The government's rice support program reached a record US$1.9 billion in 1986, as compared with US$890 million in 1985. By raising procurement prices by 14% over the 1986 level, Seoul achieved a rice price structure that was about five times that of the world market in 1987.Barley was the second most valuable crop. Its production declined from about 1.5 million tons in 1970 to about 561,500 tons in 1988. Other crops included such grains as millet, corn, sorghum, buckwheat, soybeans, and potatoes. Fruits and vegetables included pears, grapes, mandarin oranges, apples, peaches, Welsh onions, Chinese cabbage, red peppers, peaches, and radishes. Other valuable cash crops included cotton, hemp, sesame, tobacco, and ginseng. In 1988, farm animal heads included native Korean cattle ,hogs and poultry.

Large mammals, such as tigers, leopards, bears, and lynx, used to be common throughout the Korea Peninsula, but these animals have virtually disappeared from South Korea due to deforestation and poaching.