'Gimpyojok' Increased Again... 56.2% Give Up Kimchi Making, Up 1.3%p from Last Year

Jongga Jip Conducts Kimchi-Making Survey with 2,845 Housewives
56.2% of Respondents Declare Giving Up Kimchi-Making
Kimchi-Making Is Difficult and Vegetable Prices Are High... "Prefer Packaged Kimchi"

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Sunghye] In the era of ‘Pyeonrimium’ (convenience + premium), the number of consumers seeking packaged kimchi instead of making kimchi themselves appears to be gradually increasing. In fact, more housewives than last year responded that they plan to purchase packaged kimchi, which can be conveniently bought as needed without making kimchi themselves.

Daesang’s Jongga Jip announced on the 2nd that, based on a survey conducted from the 19th to the 23rd of last month on the Jongga Jip blog targeting a total of 2,845 housewives regarding ‘this year’s kimchi-making plans,’ 56.2% of respondents declared they would forgo making kimchi, showing a 1.3 percentage point increase compared to last year’s 54.9%.

Among the housewives who decided to forgo making kimchi this year, 62.6% answered that they would replace it by purchasing packaged kimchi, up 4.6 percentage points from last year’s 58%, and also increased compared to 2018’s 54%, showing a steady upward trend every year. Housewives across all age groups feel that making kimchi is cumbersome and difficult, and factors such as the unusually long rainy season and typhoons this year, which caused soaring prices of kimchi ingredients, are also considered influential. Additionally, the perception that purchasing packaged kimchi is more convenient and reasonable was also reflected in the analysis.

The Increasing ‘Gimpo-jok’ Every Year, with Long Rainy Season and Rising Vegetable Prices This Year Adding Significant Burden to Kimchi-Making

The number of ‘Gimpo-jok’?those who give up making kimchi every year?is increasing. The most common reason was ‘concern about hard labor and stress (31.2%),’ followed by ‘expensive vegetable prices such as cabbage due to the long rainy season (28.1%),’ and ‘unnecessary due to small family size (16.4%).’

The burden of making kimchi this year also appeared to be greater than last year. When asked whether they felt more burdened about making kimchi this year compared to last year, 35.6% answered ‘felt a lot more,’ and 31.4% said ‘felt a little more,’ totaling 67% who felt more burdened this year. The most cited reason was ‘high cost of purchasing kimchi ingredients,’ accounting for 44.4%, followed by ‘physically burdensome’ at 29.2%, ‘lack of confidence in making kimchi’ at 18%, and ‘lack of time’ at 4.6%. Notably, 3.8% answered ‘face-to-face interaction is burdensome due to the COVID-19 impact,’ reflecting the global spread of COVID-19 this year.

62.6% Respond ‘Will Purchase Packaged Kimchi Instead of Making Kimchi’... Frequently Buying Medium-Sized Products

Despite the kimchi-making season, the number of Gimpo-jok who responded that they would replace kimchi-making with packaged kimchi increased compared to last year. This year, 62.6% of respondents said they would purchase packaged kimchi instead of making kimchi, up 4.6 percentage points from last year’s 58%, followed by ‘obtaining from family or acquaintances’ (25.4%) and ‘no plans yet’ (11.7%). Especially among the 30s and 40s age group Gimpo-jok, 63% expressed willingness to purchase packaged kimchi, a 5.2 percentage point increase from last year’s 57.8%.

The main reasons Gimpo-jok want to purchase packaged kimchi are ‘the hard labor of making kimchi’ and ‘the high convenience of packaged kimchi.’ The answer ‘making kimchi is difficult and cumbersome’ accounted for 34.3%, and ‘can conveniently purchase only the needed amount’ was 31.6%. Next were ‘cheaper than making it yourself’ at 24.9%, and ‘tastes better than homemade’ at 7.5%.

In particular, housewives planning to purchase packaged kimchi instead of making kimchi preferred medium-sized products, consistent with last year. When asked about ‘packaged kimchi purchase units’ this year, 50.2% responded that they frequently purchase medium-sized products weighing 3 to 5 kg, the highest proportion, the same as last year’s 50%. Those purchasing large-sized products over 10 kg accounted for 25.3%, and those frequently purchasing small-sized products under 1.7 kg were 23.7%.

Increase in Home Meals This Year, with 63.1% Responding ‘Increased Kimchi Purchase Frequency Compared to Last Year’

Due to the impact of COVID-19, not only the frequency of home meals but also the frequency of kimchi purchases increased compared to last year. When asked whether the frequency of home meals increased due to COVID-19 this year compared to last year, 66% answered ‘increased,’ the highest proportion. Regarding ‘how much the frequency of home meals increased,’ 35.9% said ‘increased more than 5 times a week,’ followed by ‘increased 3 times a week’ (27.4%) and ‘increased 2 times a week’ (19.9%).

Especially, 63.1% responded that ‘kimchi purchase frequency increased due to the increase in home meals,’ showing a high figure. Regarding purchase cycles, ‘once a month’ was the most common at 38%, followed by ‘once every two months’ (23%) and ‘once every three months’ (15.4%). The amount purchased per month was highest for ‘3 to 5 kg medium packaging’ at 52.9%.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.