The Korea Customs Service announced on Feb. 8 that South Korea’s kimchi exports reached an all-time high of US$144.51 million last year, up 37.6 percent from a year ago. The previous high is US$106.61 million, recorded in 2012.
The increase in exports has to do with the increasing awareness of Korean kimchi as fermented food contributing to immunity enhancement against diseases such as COVID-19.
Last year, more than 80 countries across the world imported kimchi from South Korea. Those include Japan (US$71.1 million), the United States (US$23.06 million), Hong Kong (US$7.76 million), Taiwan (US$5.87 million), Australia (US$5.64 million), the Netherlands (US$5.15 million), Uruguay (US$1.06 million), the UAE (US$0.73 million) and Qatar (US$0.23 million).