"Do You Want to Buy Packaged Kimchi?"... Increasing 'Gimpo-jok' Giving Up Kimjang

9 out of 10 respondents empathize with the "Gimpojok" phenomenon

Recently, with the rising popularity of convenience foods and the increase in small households, the number of people who prefer to buy kimchi rather than make it themselves, known as 'Gimpo-jok (Kimjang Pogi-jok),' has been growing.

According to the monthly agricultural food subscription platform Wolgan Nonghyup Matseon, operated by Nonghyup, the phenomenon of 'Gimpo-jok,' households that do not make kimchi, is spreading significantly. This survey was conducted from the 18th to the 23rd of the month, targeting about 500 members of Wolgan Nonghyup Matseon, to understand consumers' kimchi-making plans and demand for packaged kimchi ahead of the main kimchi-making season.

[Image source=Pixabay]

The survey results showed that 92.1% of respondents agreed with the 'Gimpo-jok' phenomenon of giving up making kimchi. Additionally, 72% of respondents stated that they would not make kimchi this year. The main reasons for not making kimchi were 'inconvenience (47.2%)', followed by 'decrease in family members (37.6%)', 'lack of time (33.1%)', and 'rising prices of kimchi ingredients (30.8%)'.

Instead, among households that gave up making kimchi, 88.7% said they plan to purchase packaged kimchi, and 84.3% responded that they buy it online. When purchasing packaged kimchi, the most important factor was 'taste of kimchi (75.2%)', followed by 'domestic origin (74.2%)' and 'trustworthy manufacturer (57.3%)'.

Regarding preferred types of packaged kimchi, 'Baechu Kimchi' accounted for a high proportion at 96.5%, followed by 'Chonggak Kimchi (47%)' and 'Pa Kimchi (26.3%)'. When asked about purchase frequency, 71.7% answered that they buy it 'once a month.'

A representative from Wolgan Nonghyup Matseon stated, "Through this survey, we confirmed that consumers who feel burdened by making kimchi are increasingly purchasing packaged kimchi through convenient online shopping, including subscriptions."