Emart sells 10 Jeju Chamjoji fish for 9,900 won

Poor Consumption Despite Abundant Chamjogi Harvest
Emart Lowers Prices Through Bulk Purchasing
Changing Perceptions of "Expensive & Inconvenient to Prepare"
Promoting Recipes via SNS

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] Although the yellow croaker caught in the coastal waters around Jeju has experienced a bumper harvest for the first time in nine years, it faces the dual challenges of rapidly increasing stock and falling prices, prompting E-Mart to promote consumption.

E-Mart announced on the 7th that it will sell Jeju yellow croaker (thawed) at 9,900 KRW for 10 fish until the 13th. Each fish weighs approximately 80g on average and is sourced from Jeju.

E-Mart secured about 230 tons of frozen Jeju yellow croaker through auctions conducted by the Fisheries Cooperative and plans to continue sales throughout the year. This volume is about 43% higher than the 160 tons sold in 2020, and the selling price is approximately 28% cheaper compared to the same period last year.

Last year, the catch volume of yellow croaker near Jeju Island increased significantly, causing the local yellow croaker prices to drop by about 10-15%. This is attributed to the milder summer heat and the widespread presence of shrimp, the yellow croaker’s food source, in the seas near Jeju and the West Coast.

According to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries’ Fisheries Information Portal, the yellow croaker catch from January to November last year was 33,230 tons. Considering the increase in winter catches, it is estimated that the total catch for last year exceeded 40,000 tons for the first time in nine years. Historically, yellow croaker catches peaked at 59,226 tons in 2011 but have been declining since, reaching only 25,788 tons in 2019.

Despite the bumper harvest after nine years, the perception that yellow croaker is cumbersome to prepare and expensive has led to stockpiling and price declines. According to Jeju City Fisheries Cooperative, about 4,000 tons of yellow croaker purchased to stabilize prices remain unsold and are stored in the cooperative’s frozen warehouses. In response, E-Mart has made large-scale purchases to support yellow croaker fishermen and offer affordable yellow croaker to consumers. They have also prepared about 50 tons of fresh yellow croaker for sale.

Recipes for deliciously preparing yellow croaker are also being introduced. Yellow croaker is an easy-to-cook fish as it does not require separate scaling or gutting, but it is not widely known among consumers. E-Mart announced that it will post videos introducing yellow croaker recipes on its Instagram, Facebook, YouTube channels, and digital signage within stores.

Lee Sang-hoon, a seafood buyer at E-Mart, said, “To promote the consumption of Jeju yellow croaker, we have introduced it at an affordable price through large-scale purchases. Going forward, we plan to expand sales channels for domestic agricultural and marine products and offer various promotions to stabilize food prices that customers can tangibly feel.”

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