A total of 284 milled rice (MR) marketed in Korea were analyzed for grading characteristics (head rice, broken kernels, chalky kernels, and damaged kernels%), color characteristics (L-, a-, b-values, and whiteness), protein content (%), and the cooked rice (CR) sensory quality to investigate the key characteristics affecting the overall sensory quality of rice marketed in Korea. Relatively high correlation with the overall sensory quality of the CR was found in color characteristics such b-value of the CR (r=-0.779) and MR (r=-0.545), the a-value of the CR (r=0.513), and the whiteness (r=0.298) of the MR, compared to protein (r=-0.150), and the moisture (r=0.158) contents of the MR and the percentage of head rice (r=0.195). Partial least squares (PLS) regression of the CR b-value with various characteristics of the MR showed that CR b-value was increased with MR b-value effectively, followed by protein content, damaged kernels, chalky kernels, and colored kernels of MR while it was decreased with whiteness and moisture content for the MR.