Minimum Kimjang Cost This Year Expected to Be 201,854 Won... Radish and Cabbage Prices Stable

Seoul Agro-Fisheries & Food Corporation Announces Purchase Price Survey for Kimchi Ingredients at Garak Market (Garak Mall)... Estimated Kimchi-Making Cost for a Family of Four (20 Napa Cabbages) Including Additional Expenses: 201,854 KRW Using Fresh Cabbage, 228,123 KRW Using Pickled Cabbage... Cabbage and Radish Prices Stabilize Ahead of November Kimchi Season

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seoul Agro-Fisheries & Food Corporation (President Moon Young-pyo) announced the results of the Garak Mall purchase price survey and Garak Market transaction trends to provide helpful information for budget-friendly kimchi ingredient shopping during the kimchi-making season.

On November 3rd, a survey was conducted on 12 major kimchi ingredients at stores within Garak Mall. The results showed that using fresh napa cabbage costs 201,854 KRW, while using salted napa cabbage costs 228,123 KRW.

This price is 43% cheaper compared to last year's 355,500 KRW surveyed by the Price Association. The lower price is attributed to the stable prices of napa cabbage and radish following Chuseok, and especially because Garak Mall has higher cost competitiveness than large supermarkets or traditional markets.

Located within Garak Market, Garak Mall sells kimchi ingredients at more affordable prices compared to other distribution channels. Additionally, it offers a convenient one-stop shopping experience for vegetables, seafood, livestock products, and processed foods, making it easy to purchase kimchi ingredients.

Essential ingredients for kimchi-making such as oysters, fresh shrimp (Dongbaekha), and pork (for bossam) can also be purchased cheaply at Garak Mall’s seafood and livestock stores.

Meanwhile, vegetable prices, which had risen due to consecutive heavy rains and typhoons in September and October, are expected to stabilize as the shipment volume of major kimchi vegetables increases ahead of the peak kimchi-making season.

Napa cabbage production is expected to increase due to expanded autumn cabbage cultivation areas and favorable crop conditions, leading to stable prices during the kimchi-making season. Radish prices, which were strong until October due to delayed growth of regular radishes, are also expected to stabilize after November as shipment volumes of bundled radishes and kimchi radishes recover to last year’s levels.

Garlic prices are expected to stabilize due to the government’s supply of stockpiled garlic (5,000 tons) as part of kimchi supply stabilization measures. On the other hand, dried chili prices are expected to be somewhat stronger than last year due to reduced production caused by diseases such as anthracnose.

Water dropwort (minari) is mainly shipped from the main winter production areas in the Gyeongsang and Jeolla regions, with overall favorable crop conditions leading to stable prices compared to last year. Mustard greens (gat) are expected to see a slight price increase compared to last year due to reduced open-field cultivation areas in the Jeolla region, resulting in decreased supply.

The corporation plans to provide ongoing updates on major kimchi ingredient transaction trends on its website starting mid-November, when the kimchi-making season is in full swing. Additionally, through the corporation’s YouTube channel, various distribution information will be offered, including kimchi recipes from kimchi masters and transaction trends of napa cabbage and radish introduced by professional auctioneers at Garak Market.

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