"Don't Make Kimchi" Young 'Gimpojok' Emerges... Packaged Kimchi Sales Soar 18-Fold

"Preference for Packaged Kimchi Increases with Younger Age"
Rising Prices of Napa Cabbage, Radish, and Cucumber Cause Kimjang Cost Increase

Sales of packaged kimchi have significantly increased. This is due to the rise in the number of 'Gimpo-jok' who give up making kimchi for the winter kimchi season as the price of napa cabbage continues to soar.

Homeplus announced on the 10th that online sales of large-sized packaged kimchi exploded last month. Analyzing online sales data, sales of packaged kimchi last month increased by 25% compared to the previous year.

In particular, sales of the 10kg product, which has the largest weight, surged by a whopping 18 times compared to last year. Looking at the sales of packaged kimchi in October over the past three years, the trend is the exact opposite of previous years when smaller portions mainly ranked at the top.

This was mainly influenced by the rising prices of ingredients for kimchi-making. Last month, prices of not only napa cabbage but also radish, cucumber, garlic, and other kimchi ingredients rose sharply.

In the case of napa cabbage, an essential ingredient, prices were more than 50% higher than usual, and Homeplus analyzed that the number of Gimpo-jok who give up making kimchi and buy packaged kimchi increased.

Also, it was found that the younger the age group, the more consumers preferred buying packaged kimchi rather than making it themselves. Especially among the younger generation, the sales proportion of easy-to-eat sliced kimchi and radish kimchi was high.

According to the November observation report by the Korea Rural Economic Institute, this autumn's napa cabbage production was estimated at 1.18 million tons, a 5.1% decrease compared to the same month last year, due to high temperatures and drought during the planting period. The cultivation area was recorded at 12,796 hectares, down 2.7% from last year. Due to the high temperatures, the initial crop condition was poor, and the unit yield also decreased by 2.3% compared to last year.