According to the Global Times, South Korean media "JoongAng Daily" reported on December 26 that although South Korea's kimchi exports will grow rapidly in 2023, they will gradually be pulled away by Chinese kimchi in the cost-effective competition. According to the import and export trade statistics released by the General Administration of Customs of South Korea on the 24th, the export value of kimchi from January to November this year was 142 million US dollars, while the import value reached 151 million US dollars, with a deficit of more than 8.8 million US dollars. Although the deficit decreased significantly year-on-year, media analysis found that an important reason for the decrease in the deficit was the continuous decline in the price of Chinese bubble menus, while its actual import volume increased by 9.5%. Korean media are worried that the kimchi trade deficit will further widen in the future.
South Korea's demand for Chinese kimchi stems from "price competitiveness". According to the report, not only do many Korean restaurants use Chinese kimchi to reduce costs, but the proportion of ordinary consumers buying Chinese kimchi is gradually increasing. In the Kimchi search ranking of Korean e-commerce platforms, Chinese kimchi is among the best. In order to reduce the cost of food, Mr. Lee, a Korean office worker, said that he recently purchased a large amount of Chinese kimchi, which is less than half the price of Korean kimchi. Another consumer said that people tend to have stereotypes about Chinese kimchi, but it's one of the best kimchi I've ever had. Good Morning World|Korean media: Local kimchi is too expensive, Koreans are hoarding Chinese kimchi instead
