(Online) K-dramas boost toasted seaweed sales

Sales of toasted seaweed are on the rise as more Chinese people are tuning into K-dramas.

According to Lotte Mart, the discount chain operated by Lotte group, sales of the traditional snack sold to Chinese tourists at its wholesale supermarket chain near Seoul Station have jumped by 78 percent over the past three years. In 2012 sales of the product stood at 100, increasing to 178 in 2015.

Among the different variations of the product, seasoned seaweed topped the list as the favorite, accounting for 68 percent of in 2015. Processed seaweed products came second, with 31 percent, up from 13 percent in 2012.

A number of hit hallyu dramas have been attributed to the product’s growing popularity especially among Chinese people, according to Lotte Mart, many of whom prefer the seaweed commonly seen in K-dramas.

By Bak Se-hwan (sh@heraldcorp.com)