[Distribution Hot People] Supplying 20 Tons of King Crab and Lobster... 'Home Seol' as the Representative Dining-Out Menu This Lunar New Year

Interview with Kim Jun, Head of Homeplus Seafood Team
Major Event with 20 Tons of King Crab and Lobster Ahead of Contactless Lunar New Year
Domestic Red Snow Crab (Hongge) from East Coast Fishermen Blocked from Export Also Introduced
'Impressive Korean Table' at Home... Live Fish Delivered Directly from Production Area
Reduced Distribution Steps... Maintains High Freshness
"We Will Make Homeplus the No.1 Crab Destination"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yuri Kim] 'Is there a way to enjoy a 'home Seol' feast that is generous yet not burdensome?' Ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday on the 10th, Homeplus is in full swing with its 'Crab Festival,' selling over 20 tons of king crabs, lobsters, and more at affordable prices. To support East Sea fishermen struggling due to export restrictions, domestically produced red snow crabs (Hongge) were also featured as event products.

We met Kim Jun, the head of the seafood team at Homeplus, who has worked at Homeplus for 18 years. Originally a livestock expert, he has been leading the seafood team for three years now. He prepared this event as well.

Kim said, "Products like king crab are usually prioritized for export or specialty stores, making them difficult to handle in large supermarkets, and there were not many customers looking for them. However, considering the trend of elevating home-cooked meals, I thought premium ingredients could gain popularity." This led to the launch of the 'Unique Premium Crab' special exhibition at the end of last year. Customer response was enthusiastic. In the first week of launch, over 10,000 giant black tiger prawns weighing more than 100g and more than 1,300 giant king crabs weighing around 2.8 kg were sold. Kim said, "At that time, I could once again feel the customers' demand for premium seafood."

To secure stable supply and competitive prices, Kim made a prior contract with a Russian king crab fleet. The most important focus was freshness. Homeplus crabs are transported directly from the production site to each store by live fish trucks. The stores also introduced aquariums to sell the seafood in a live state. Homeplus has installed and operates mobile aquariums in 100 stores, the most among large supermarkets, and owns 15 live fish trucks.

The king crabs for this event were brought in from Vladivostok, Russia, to Sokcho and Donghae ports, and after customs declaration and quarantine, moved to mooring sites (where aquariums are located) in Incheon, Busan, and Sokcho. At the mooring sites, the crabs are transported directly to nearby stores without passing through logistics centers. He emphasized, "Because the distribution stage is reduced by not going through logistics centers, we can maintain high freshness. After arriving in Korea, all deliveries use live fish trucks, which minimizes stress on the king crabs."

Homeplus operates a separate Fresh Quality Center and also focuses on 'healthy food.' Kim said, "Only products that pass quality inspections at the production site by seafood technical managers and pre-safety checks are sold. We conduct multiple stages of quality control, including inspection of products entering logistics centers and stores, to select safe and fresh products." Homeplus was also the first major domestic retailer to obtain international certification for sustainable seafood distribution (MSC/ASC certification).

Kim's goal for this year is "to make consumers think of Homeplus when they think of crabs." He said, "We plan to soon introduce American Dungeness crab and British brown crab, which have been hard to find in domestic large supermarkets. We will continue to promote seasonal events by directly shipping seasonal live blue crabs, live shrimp, live squid, and live webfoot octopus from production ports, thereby continuing to coexist with domestic fishing villages."

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