Haenam Salted Napa Cabbage Records Highest Sales Ever at 128.9 Billion Won Last Year

Nationwide Campaign Receives Enthusiastic Response
Sales Increase by 29% Compared to Previous Year

Ttangkkeut Haenam salted cabbage recorded its highest-ever sales in 2024, reaching 128.9 billion KRW.

According to a survey conducted by Haenam-gun, Jeollanam-do (Governor Myung Hyun-gwan), among 743 local salted cabbage producers, a total of 3,192,000 boxes of Haenam salted cabbage were sold last year. This marks a 29% increase compared to the previous year's 2,480,000 boxes, showing a remarkable upward trend.

In particular, the average price per 20kg box rose to 40,680 KRW, a 9% increase from last year's 37,400 KRW, reflecting the growing popularity of Haenam salted cabbage among consumers.

County Governor Myung Hyungwan (right) is inspecting the salted napa cabbage site. Provided by Haenam County

Amid concerns over poor cabbage growth and soaring kimchi cabbage prices due to heavy rainfall during the cabbage planting season last year, the county launched a nationwide campaign before the kimchi-making season in mid-November, which received a great response.

As the culture of making kimchi with Haenam cabbage at the optimal time spread, it not only stabilized this year's kimchi prices but also served as an important opportunity to widely promote the excellence of Haenam cabbage.

Additionally, with the full participation of all residents, Governor Myung Hyun-gwan, Assemblyman Park Ji-won, and the Haenam County Council actively promoted Haenam cabbage, which became the driving force behind the record-breaking sales.

The popularity of Haenam salted cabbage stems from the high consumer preference for Haenam cabbage, the raw material. The county is the largest production area, accounting for about 26% of the nation's cabbage cultivation, with 4,257 hectares of cabbage grown last year.

Haenam salted cabbage is made only from Haenam cabbages that have been grown for 70 to 90 days and weigh at least 2.5kg, using domestic sun-dried salt and clean water in hygienic facilities. It is washed thoroughly three to four times and drained before delivery, so it can be used to make kimchi immediately. The cabbages are dense, retain their natural sweetness and crunch even after salting, and do not become soggy easily after being made into kimchi.

Governor Myung Hyun-gwan stated, "This sales growth is thanks to the hard work of the farmers and the love from consumers," and added, "We will continue to achieve better results through ongoing quality improvement and support."