S. Korea’s exports of kimchi hit all-time high through October amid COVID-19 pandemic

SEOUL —South Korea’s exports of kimchi reached an all-time high in the first 10 months of 2020, data showed Wednesday, on the back of growing global demand for healthier foodstuffs amid the new coronavirus pandemic.

Outbound shipments of kimchi over the January-October period of last year came to $119 million, rising 36.4 percent from a year earlier, according to the data compiled by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA).

The export volume also set a fresh high of 32,000 tons during the cited period.

Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish normally made of fermented cabbage, salt and hot peppers.

Japan was the largest importer of kimchi, accounting for a whopping 50 percent of Seoul’s outbound shipments. Sales to the Asian neighbor reached $59 million, up 28 percent from the previous year.

The United States followed with $18 million worth of kimchi imports, taking up 15.7 percent of the total. Exports of kimchi to Hong Kong reached $6.2 million. (Yonhap)

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