Fried chicken

PRICE CONTROLLER MAP

Chicken prices rose even in a year live-bird prices fell. Who made this price?

Traced price → cost → margin → control → bottleneck; who moved the price comes last, only as far as the evidence goes. No scores.

1. 01 · Price

   What moved, and by how much?

   Observation VERIFIED

   Chicken CPI +4.8% in 2024 and +3.9% in 2025 (2023 = 100 → 108.9). Live-bird market price: 2,062 won/kg (2023) → 1,570 (2024, −23.9%) → 1,903 (2025).

   통계청 「2024년 12월 및 연간 소비자물가동향」 · 통계청 「2025년 12월 및 연간 소비자물가동향」 · 한국농촌경제연구원 「농업전망 2026」 육계 수급 동향과 전망

2. 02 · Cost

   Which costs rose?

   Raw-material supplier · Cost contribution UNKNOWN

   The only public farm price covers about 4% of shipments. Integrator contract prices (95.8%), what franchises actually pay, and the bird’s share of a chicken’s price are not public.

   한국농촌경제연구원 「농업전망 2026」 육계 수급 동향과 전망

   Platform · Cost contribution UNKNOWN

   No data splitting delivery-app fees, ads and delivery costs per chicken.

   No evidence (unknown): Franchisor, Landlord, Distributor / retailer, The industry as a whole, Shopper behaviour

3. 03 · Margin

   Who keeps how much?

   Franchisor · Margin capture UNKNOWN

   Franchisor supply prices, royalties and margins are not in public data.

   No evidence (unknown): Raw-material supplier, Platform, Landlord, Distributor / retailer, The industry as a whole, Shopper behaviour

4. 04 · Control

   Who sets, passes on and holds the price?

   Franchisor · Control power VERIFIED

   Kyochon’s head office cut its boneless menu from 700 g to 500 g and changed the meat mix in Sep 2025 (same price), then reversed it from 20 Nov — a record that the franchisor can change the real price nationwide.

   스페셜경제 — 교촌치킨 순살 중량 축소(2025.9) · 에너지경제 — 교촌치킨 중량·원육 원상복구(2025.10.23)

   The industry as a whole · Downward resistance VERIFIED

   In 2024 the live-bird price fell 23.9% while chicken CPI rose 4.8% — the fall did not reach shoppers. That price covers only 4% of shipments, and who held the price is not established.

   한국농촌경제연구원 「농업전망 2026」 육계 수급 동향과 전망 · 통계청 「2024년 12월 및 연간 소비자물가동향」

   No evidence (unknown): Raw-material supplier, Platform, Landlord, Distributor / retailer, Shopper behaviour

5. 05 · Bottleneck

   Who holds the chokepoint?

   Raw-material supplier · Market concentration VERIFIED

   In its 2022 decision the FTC said the 16 fresh-chicken firms held over 77% of the market; 95.8% of shipments go through integrator contracts.

   이코노미스트 — 공정위, 하림 등 16개 육계 신선육 사업자 담합 제재(2022.3.16 공정위 발표) · 한국농촌경제연구원 「농업전망 2026」 육계 수급 동향과 전망

   No evidence (unknown): Franchisor, Platform, Landlord, Distributor / retailer, The industry as a whole, Shopper behaviour

06 · Who benefits

So who is moving this price most?

Primary price driver UNKNOWN

No one can be named on the evidence

Without the shares of bird, rent, labour, delivery and franchisor supplies, no factor can be named as the main driver.

Margin capturer UNKNOWN

No one can be named on the evidence

No margin data for franchisor, franchisee or platform.

Bottleneck holder ESTIMATED

Raw-material supplier

A few integrators hold the live-bird supply chokepoint (structural estimate).

Basis: FTC: top 16 firms over 77% share; KREI: 95.8% of shipments via integrator contracts. Structural evidence that supply runs through a few integrators — not evidence that this position raised today’s chicken prices. · confidence Medium

이코노미스트 — 공정위, 하림 등 16개 육계 신선육 사업자 담합 제재(2022.3.16 공정위 발표) · 한국농촌경제연구원 「농업전망 2026」 육계 수급 동향과 전망

Price leader UNKNOWN

No one can be named on the evidence

The dated order of brand price rises has not been compiled from public records.

Confirmed collusion VERIFIED

Raw-material supplier

In March 2022 the FTC fined 16 fresh-chicken firms including Harim, Olpum and Maniker 175.8 bn won (provisional) for fixing prices, output, shipments and live-bird purchases 45 times between Nov 2005 and Jul 2017. On 23 Jul 2026 the Seoul High Court dismissed the challenge by Harim Holdings, Olpum and Hangang Foods. The cartel period ends in 2017; no direct link to 2023–2025 chicken prices is established. Whether an appeal was filed was not checked.

이코노미스트 — 공정위, 하림 등 16개 육계 신선육 사업자 담합 제재(2022.3.16 공정위 발표) · 아이뉴스24 — 공정위 육계 신선육 담합 과징금 1,758억원(2022.3.16) · SBS Biz — 서울고법, 하림지주·올품·한강식품 과징금 취소 소송 원고 패소(2026.7.23 선고)

• Chicken CPI is an average across brands and stores, not any one brand’s price.
• The cartel finding concerns fresh-chicken supply in 2005–2017, not chicken franchisors.

Checked 2026-10-08 · Why a price is high and who keeps the money can differ, so roles are listed separately.

✓ ANALYSED

Analyses you can open

• Cost DetectiveFried chicken

△ NOT ANALYSED YET

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Not applicable: Privacy Detective