K-Food Exports Reach $3.12 Billion Through April This Year... Ramen, Gimbap, Kimchi Up

Export Value Increased by 6.2% Compared to the Same Period Last Year

Thanks to the growth of key export items such as ramen, processed rice products (including gimbap), and kimchi, K-food (agricultural and food products) exports have increased by more than 6% through April of this year.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 2nd that the cumulative export amount of K-food as of April (provisional) reached $3.12 billion, a 6.2% increase compared to last year. The growth rate, which was 3.4% as of the end of March, has accelerated further.

By market, exports are increasing in the United States, ASEAN, and Europe. The United States, the largest export market, saw an overall increase in exports of major items such as ramen, processed rice products, beverages, snacks, and kimchi due to economic stabilization and activation of the consumer market.

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The ASEAN region grew by 5.0% as awareness of K-food increased with the spread of the Korean Wave, and sales expanded through new distribution channels such as convenience stores. Europe, showing the highest growth rate (up 33.1%), is analyzed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs to be influenced by the Korean Wave and consumer recovery. On the other hand, China experienced a decline compared to the previous year due to continued consumption stagnation. However, the decline has somewhat eased (-1.8%) compared to last month (-7.2%). In Japan, exports decreased by 5.7% year-on-year due to the accelerated yen depreciation and sluggish consumer sentiment.

By item, the growth of key export items such as ramen, processed rice products (including gimbap), beverages, and kimchi stood out. A ministry official explained, "In particular, ramen is showing explosive growth in the US and Europe due to aggressive marketing linked to Korean Wave content and the resolution of safety issues in Europe. Processed rice products such as instant rice and frozen gimbap are steadily growing, supported by interest in healthy foods and the Korean Wave, and kimchi continues to grow as interest in plant-based and fermented foods increases."

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is actively collaborating with other ministries to communicate closely with companies and resolve on-site difficulties to continuously expand agricultural and food exports. They are identifying and resolving difficulties through close management such as one-on-one interviews with the top 100 export companies. In addition, the export information desk function of the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), an export support organization for agricultural and food products, is being strengthened and operated. Established in 2023, the export information desk provides export support information to companies and serves as a channel to receive and resolve company difficulties at any time. To provide faster service, they are preparing to open a mobile messenger open chat room. Among 101 difficulties received through company interviews and the export information desk by the end of April, 67 cases have been addressed through information provision and other measures, and issues that are difficult to resolve immediately will be addressed through inter-ministerial cooperation.

Along with this, to solve tasks requiring inter-ministerial cooperation such as easing food safety regulations and pioneering overseas markets, a "K-Food Plus (K-Food+) Inter-Ministerial Consultative Body for Export Expansion" has been formed to discuss cooperation plans. Major tasks under discussion include negotiations on safety standards for processed livestock products between countries (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety), overseas buyer discovery (Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy), Korean Wave marketing (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism), and responses to K-food imitation products (Korean Intellectual Property Office). The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to hold consultative body meetings once a month to check progress.

Kwon Jae-han, Director of Agricultural Innovation Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said, "Thanks to the efforts of our exporting farmers and companies, agricultural and food exports continue to increase. The government will strengthen cooperation among related ministries to actively resolve difficulties in the export field, and will make every effort to expand export territories by supporting the discovery of new products and market development so that agricultural and food exports can continue to grow steadily."

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