The retail price of napa cabbage, a key ingredient for kimchi, is skyrocketing in South Korea, rising 52 percent from a month earlier, likely due to supply disruptions caused by this summer’s unusual weather, which has alternated between torrential rain and extreme heat waves.
Kimchi cabbage cost 7,062 won per head as of Monday, according to data from the Korea Agro-Fisheries and Food Trade Corporation on Tuesday. This marks a sharp increase from 4,642 won in mid-July and from 6,871 won just last Wednesday.
Napa cabbage usually costs more in August than in July, but this month's price was 9.3 percent higher than the same time last year. Officials at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs told local media that this appears to be due to the combination of heavy rain and heat waves that struck the country in July and early August.
Officials added that the government has been releasing its cabbage reserves to help stabilize prices, and they expect prices to trend downward in the coming weeks.
The wholesale price of napa cabbage has recently been on a downward trend, marking 4,393 won per head as of last Thursday. Retail prices typically follow wholesale trends with a lag of two to three weeks.
Napa cabbage is a staple vegetable in Korea, with government data showing that the average Korean consumed 39.3 kilograms of it in 2023. It was the most consumed vegetable, accounting for 29.1 percent of the 134.8 kilograms of vegetables consumed per person for the year.
minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com
