South Korea has posted a large trade deficit with the U.S. in the agricultural and livestock sector last year.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said Saturday that South Korea's agricultural and livestock exports to the U.S. reached 716 million dollars last year, while imports amounted to six-point-eight billion dollars for a deficit of over six-point-one billion dollars.

Beef was the single largest import from the U.S. to the tune of over one billion dollars.

The domestic market share of American beef has shot up to 48-point-four percent during the first five months of this year, surpassing the 42-point-eight percent share held by Australian beef. 

The latest data comes as the U.S. has formally requested talks to revise the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement, as ordered by President Donald Trump, over claims of a trade imbalance with Korea.