‘Ramen and Gimbap’ that attracts even foreigners… K-food export amount is the highest ever

10.4 billion dollars this year… 1.2%↑ in one year
Processed food ‘traction’… Agricultural products are also popular

Thanks to the ramen and kimbap craze that is sweeping the world, exports of Korean food (K-food) and food culture-related industries have reached an all-time high.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on the 23rd that the cumulative export amount of K-food and related industries from January this year to the 18th was 10.4781 billion dollars, a 1.2% increase from the same period last year.

Processed foods such as kimbap and ramen, which have recently become so popular that they are sold out in overseas supermarkets, have driven the increase. In particular, cumulative ramen exports reached $8.427 billion, a 25.4% increase from the same period last year, reaching a new all-time high. Exports of processed rice foods such as gimbap and hetbahn, which are recently popular in the U.S. and Europe, also increased by 17.9% to $1.875 billion. This is because the tendency to prefer convenience foods is growing overseas, and ‘gluten-free’ products that do not contain wheat are gaining popularity as health foods.

The popularity of agricultural products such as strawberries and pears also showed an upward curve. Strawberry exports increased 24.6% to $528 million, and pear exports increased 1.2% to $579 million. This is because new varieties developed domestically, such as Vitaberry and Kingsberry, have become famous as high-quality varieties in the United States and Southeast Asian countries. Kimchi made without salted fish also rose by 9.4% as it emerged as a new vegan food overseas.

In addition to agricultural and livestock products, the growth of food-related forward and backward industries such as intelligent farms (smart farms), seeds, and pesticides is also rapid. Smart farms, mainly in the Middle East, were exported worth $2.551 billion, an increase of 197.4% compared to last year, and exports of domestically developed pesticides also increased by 104.9%, mainly to the United States and Australia.

Sejong Reporter Kwak So-young