SEOUL, Nov. 28 (BNA) South Korea’s exports of agricultural and fishery goods have crossed the $10 billion mark for the first time this year, led by the “halyu” Korean popular culture wave, data showed Sunday.
Outgoing food shipments reached $10.13 billion from Jan. 1 to Nov. 25, up 16.1 percent from a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.
This is the first time that agricultural and fishery commodity exports have exceeded $10 billion since the country began compiling relevant data in 1971.
In 2020, the country’s exports of agricultural and fishery goods hit an annual record high of $9.87 billion despite the fourth wave of the pandemic.
This year’s rapid exports were led by increased shipments of strawberries, grapefruit, seaweed products, or “jim” in Korean, as well as traditional foodstuffs such as kimchi and ginseng.
South Korea’s seaweed products were the number one food export component, with exports reaching $600 million in the cited period.
The ministry said shipments of kimchi and ginseng also remained strong on the back of Hallyu’s popularity and demand from health-conscious consumers around the world.
MI