South Korea’s most iconic food is enjoying record demand overseas, yet at home a growing share of the kimchi served in restaurants and increasingly in household kitchens is made in China, according to the latest trade data and industry analysts.
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The Korea Customs Service has reported that from January to October, South Korea exported US$137.39 million worth of kimchi, a 2 per cent increase over the same period last year, but imported US$159.46 million, up 3.1 per cent.
This has left the country with a kimchi trade deficit of US$22.07 million – an increase of more than 10 per cent year-on-year.
Officials expect this year’s exports to surpass 2024’s record of US$163.57 million, underscoring kimchi’s status as a thriving global food brand.
Speaking at a Kimchi Day event at the National Folk Museum in Seoul last week, Agriculture Minister Song Mi-ryung said the government would continue to promote the product abroad as a strategic export.
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“We will work to develop the kimchi industry into a future-oriented export sector and help solidify kimchi’s place as a global food brand,” she said, as quoted by The Korea Herald.