"Even Vinegar Prices Rose"... Average Price of Seoul's Representative Naengmyeon Reaches 10,750 Won

Average Price of Naengmyeon in Seoul Rises 7% This Year
Increase Due to Buckwheat Price Hike
Impact of COVID-19 and Ukraine War Combined

The average price of representative naengmyeon dishes in Seoul recorded 10,750 won this year. This is due to the simultaneous increase in prices of key ingredients such as buckwheat, sugar, salt, eggs, and vinegar.

On the 19th, Korea Price Information, a professional price survey organization, surveyed the prices of representative naengmyeon dishes at 10 restaurants in Seoul. The results showed that this year's naengmyeon prices rose by 7% compared to last year and by 29.5% compared to five years ago in 2018. The average price of naengmyeon at these restaurants was around 8,300 won in 2018, increased to 9,150 won in 2021, 10,050 won in 2022, and reached 10,750 won this year. Naengmyeon, considered a typical affordable meal, has thus become "no longer a light meal."

Pyongyang Naengmyeon [Photo by Pyongyang Performance Joint Press Corps]

A famous Pyongyang naengmyeon restaurant in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, also raised the price of naengmyeon made with 100% buckwheat from 14,000 won last year to 15,000 won this year. A Hamheung naengmyeon restaurant in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, increased its price from 12,000 won last year to 13,000 won this year, and a well-known Pyongyang naengmyeon restaurant in Jung-gu, Seoul, raised the price of one bowl of naengmyeon to 16,000 won.

The rise in buckwheat prices, the main ingredient of naengmyeon, appears to have driven the overall increase in naengmyeon prices. According to Korea Price Information, the price of 1 kg of domestic buckwheat reached around 10,000 won this year, up 53.8% from last year. The price of imported buckwheat, a substitute, was also around 4,300 won per kg, about 40% higher than the average year. This is due to reduced buckwheat production caused by the combined effects of COVID-19 and the Ukraine war, as well as increased labor and logistics costs.

In addition, prices of various secondary ingredients such as sugar, salt, eggs, and vinegar, as well as labor and logistics costs, have all risen simultaneously. Lee Dong-hoon, a senior researcher at Korea Price Information, said, "International sugar prices have reached their highest level in 12 years, and there is a forecast that a 'super El Ni?o' may occur this summer, which could further reduce production in major raw sugar-producing countries." He added, "Due to the rise in various raw material prices, food prices are likely to increase again in the second half of the year."

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