The Korean cattle industry is important to farming households, the national economy, and the security of foodstuffs in Korea. Since Korean cattle have had inferior ability to produce meat, the Korean cattle industry aimed to improve the meat production ability and to increase numbers to meet the demand from the growing beef cattle market in Korea. This paper reviews the history of the Korean cattle industry and surveys the efforts devoted to improve genetic abilities of the Korean cattle. Discussed are current situations of the Korean cattle industry, projects related to improvement of Korean cattle, Korean cattle''''s genetic characteristics of economic traits, and some issues to deal with.