Achieving Kimchi Trade Surplus After 12 Years... Record High Export of $160 Million Driven by COVID-19 Demand

Kimchi Trade Balance Surplus Amounts to $19.2 Million

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] As the export of kimchi, known as a health food, surged amid the spread of COVID-19, the kimchi trade balance recorded a surplus for the first time in 12 years since 2009. The export value reached 160 million dollars.

On the 9th, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced that last year's kimchi export value reached a record high of 159.9 million dollars (provisional). Riding on this, the kimchi trade balance also recorded a surplus of 19.2 million dollars, marking a remarkable achievement by turning positive for the first time in 12 years since 2009. Over the past five years, kimchi exports have increased by an average of 18% annually, showing a remarkable upward trend, which has continuously improved the trade balance as well.

The number of export destination countries also expanded from 61 countries in 2011 to 89 countries over 10 years, indicating that Korea's traditional food, kimchi, is gaining popularity worldwide, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

In particular, following the global increase in health awareness due to the spread of COVID-19 and the Korean Wave (Hallyu) represented by K-pop, the recognition of kimchi, a representative traditional fermented food, has risen. It is evaluated that the private and government support to enhance the quality and safety of kimchi has produced results.

Kimchi Export Trends Over the Past 5 Years (Unit: Million USD, Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has actively promoted the safety and efficacy of Korean kimchi to inform the excellence of kimchi overseas. They also created kimchi QR codes containing recipes using kimchi, which have been utilized in 16 major export countries including Japan and the United States. Since last year, they have produced kimchi ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response) videos and promoted them through various media such as social networking services (SNS).

Despite the global logistics crisis, they secured some cargo on routes to export countries such as the United States and Australia through HMM (Hyundai Merchant Marine) dedicated agricultural food shipping space, ensuring that kimchi is exported overseas while maintaining its fresh quality. Additionally, various efforts to support kimchi export companies' overseas expansion, such as improving packaging design for export kimchi products and acquiring overseas certifications, are continuously underway.

Jeon Han-young, Food Industry Policy Officer at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "Kimchi is a representative food of Korea, and the fact that the trade balance recorded a surplus for the first time in 12 years is highly symbolic." He added, "Along with various efforts to further expand the export of kimchi, a leading K-food, we will discover promising Korean agricultural and food products and widely promote them overseas."

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