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Reference photo. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] As consumer anxiety over Chinese-made kimchi has prolonged due to the 'naked cabbage salting' video, napa cabbage kimchi has disappeared from restaurants, replaced by domestically produced kkakdugi.

On the 12th, a tour of restaurants near Chungmuro in Seoul revealed that napa cabbage kimchi had vanished, with kkakdugi taking its place. Mr. A, the owner of a ramen specialty restaurant, said, "For a while, I removed kimchi and only served pickled radish as a side dish, but many customers asked for kimchi. Since the price of napa cabbage is so high, I am offering kkakdugi as an alternative."

According to the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation (aT), as of the 12th, the price of one head of napa cabbage is 5,227 won, which is 17.9% higher than last year. On the other hand, the price of one radish is 1,412 won, 12.4% cheaper than last year. The price of kkakdugi made with domestic ingredients is around 15,000 won for 5 kg, which is more expensive than Chinese-made kimchi (15,000 won for 10 kg) but about 10,000 won cheaper than domestically produced napa cabbage kimchi, leading to the disappearance of napa cabbage kimchi from restaurants.

Restaurants that use kimchi not as a side dish but in dishes like kimchi jjigae are still struggling. This is because there is no way to replace Chinese-made kimchi due to cost burdens. Although the manufacturing plant in China attaches a certificate proving it has received the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) certification to the restaurant, consumer anxiety remains high.

A representative from a domestic kimchi manufacturing company said, "Since the Chinese kimchi controversy, inquiries about the supply price of domestic kimchi products have increased more than threefold compared to before the controversy. However, due to price burdens, most inquiries do not lead to actual supply."