Jeonnam, Korea's Largest Cabbage Producer, Sees Kimchi Exports Drop 40% in Five Years

Kim Seongil of Jeonnam Provincial Assembly: "Competitiveness Weakening... Urgent Measures Needed"
Small-Scale Businesses and Influx of Chinese Imports Bring 'Humiliation to the Cabbage Powerhouse'

Kim Seongil, a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly (Democratic Party of Korea, Haenam 1), strongly criticized the weakening competitiveness of the kimchi industry in Jeonnam and urged the provincial government to come up with special countermeasures.

During the 393rd extraordinary session held on the 16th, Assemblyman Kim stated, "Although Jeonnam is the largest cabbage-producing region in the country, its competitiveness in kimchi processing, distribution, and export is lagging behind nationwide, and it is facing a serious crisis."

According to the data presented by Assemblyman Kim, the nationwide export volume of kimchi increased by about 18%, from 39,748 tons in 2020 to 47,052 tons in 2024. However, during the same period, Jeonnam's kimchi export volume decreased by about 40%, from 2,421 tons to 1,444 tons.

Kim Sungil, a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Assembly, pointed out the weakening competitiveness of the kimchi industry in Jeonnam during the provincial government questioning session at the 393rd extraordinary meeting held on the 16th and urged for measures to be taken. Provided by Jeonnam Provincial Assembly

He pointed out, "While kimchi exports in Chungbuk and Jeonbuk have steadily increased, Jeonnam continues to show a downward trend. The number of kimchi processing companies in Jeonnam has remained stagnant over the past three years, and most of them are still small-scale operations."

Assemblyman Kim also expressed concern, saying, "Due to abnormal weather conditions such as early heat waves and heavy rainfall, the supply of raw materials has become unstable. At the same time, the rapid increase in cheap imported kimchi has made it increasingly difficult for domestically produced kimchi to find markets, especially in the restaurant industry." He urged, "Jeonnam Province should systematically foster the foundation of processing companies and establish export-oriented processing and distribution hubs. The province must also prepare mid- to long-term special measures to respond to unstable cabbage supply and the spread of imported kimchi."

In response, Kim Youngrok, Governor of Jeonnam, said, "It is difficult to completely block the import of Chinese kimchi. We are actively recommending to the central government that quarantine inspections on kimchi imports be strengthened."

Governor Kim added, "To revitalize the kimchi industry in Jeonnam, we will promote a new raw material supply project equipped with preprocessing facilities and support the scaling up of kimchi processing companies by expanding the production of customized products such as semi-processed kimchi."

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