ANN/THE KOREA HERALD – South Korea’s exports of dried seaweed products, known as gim, reached an all-time high in the first quarter of the year, fuelled by increasing global demand, official data showed yesterday.
According to figures released by the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation, outbound shipments of gim totalled USD281 million between January and March, marking a 21.1 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
The figure represents the highest first-quarter export value on record for the industry.
In terms of volume, gim exports rose 7.5 per cent year-on-year to 10,161 tonnes over the three-month period.
An official from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said the government expects total gim exports to surpass the USD1 billion mark this year, with both the volume and value of overseas shipments showing consistent growth. The ministry had originally aimed to achieve this milestone by 2027.
Last year, South Korea exported gim products worth USD997 million.
The strong export performance has been attributed to the growing popularity of Korean seaweed products, particularly in key markets such as the United States (US) and China.
Shipments to the US rose 21.6 per cent year-on-year to USD57.9 million in the first quarter, supported by rising demand for seasoned seaweed snacks.
Exports to China saw a sharp 86.5 per cent increase to USD51.1 million, spurred by the growing popularity of gimbap, a Korean rice roll wrapped in dried seaweed.
Other markets also showed positive trends.
Exports to Thailand climbed 15.9 per cent to USD34.2 million, while shipments to Japan rose 7.2 per cent to USD34.4 million during the same period.
