Seoul: South Korea's exports of dried seaweed products, known as "gim" in Korean, reached an all-time high in the first quarter, driven by growing global demand for the food, data showed Monday. Outbound shipments of gim reached US$281 million in the first three months of the year, up 21.1 percent from a year earlier. The figure is the highest for any first quarter.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the volume of gim exports increased 7.5 percent on-year to 10,161 tons in the January-March period. An official from the oceans ministry stated, "We expect to export more than $1 billion worth of gim products this year as the volume and value of outbound shipments are both on the rise." The government had earlier aimed to reach the $1 billion mark by 2027. Last year, South Korea exported $997 million of gim products.
The oceans ministry attributed the strong exports to the popularity of Korean gim products in the United States and China, the world's two largest markets. Gim exports to the U.S. rose 21.6 percent on-year to $57.9 million in the first quarter, driven by robust demand for seasoned gim products. Shipments to China spiked 86.5 percent to $51.1 million over the same period, as gimbap, a Korean dish made from cooked rice and various fillings rolled in dried seaweed, gained popularity in the country.
Furthermore, exports to Thailand and Japan also increased, gaining 15.9 percent and 7.2 percent to $34.2 million and $34.4 million, respectively.